I Can Do It Better Than Her
by TheVeiledFairy
Summary: AU, but only in the sense that I added a new character. Everything else will stay the same.  When it comes to Santana and Brittany's relationship, three is definitely a crowd.
1. At Your Service

**Author's Note. This song is stuck in my head currently. I had an idea for a fic where there was another girl in Santana's life so here it is! Rated M for future chapters. It starts in the present and will go to the past to shed light on the situation and how it came to be. I've been working on this one for a while! Please review! I'm a new writer so any feedback is truly appreciated!**

The door. Neither of them could take their eyes off of it.

The sound of it slamming reverberated in their ears.

The echoes of Brittany's accusations hung in the air.

They sit in a hesitant silence, neither daring to speak before the other, as they try their best to process the events that had unfolded only moments before.

Finally Santana speaks.

"_Umm, Aimi…I think you should go," _she states heavily. The woman beside Santana, startled by the break in the silence, turns to stare at her intensely with a hint of longing in her eyes. She remains motionless hoping that her silent protest would be enough to sway the Latina's decision.

Santana looks over at the woman watching her so fixedly, and immediately wishes she hadn't.

She sighs, _"Aimilee. Please."_

Aimilee holds tightly onto Santana's gaze and bites her bottom lip, as she debates her next move. Never looking away until she finally begins to gather her things.

She reaches the door and pauses. _"I'll call you tomorrow?" _she offers as more of a question than a statement.

Not wanting to commit to this, Santana raises her eyebrows and hums out a short _"Mmm." _

Aimilee, unsure of what that means but not wanting to argue, exits the apartment without another word leaving Santana alone with her thoughts.

She was in shock. Santana had never heard her girlfriend speak that way and had never seen her so angry. All she could think was how she hoped Brittany would come to her senses and apologize for overreacting as she usually did.  
Yes.  
She would come back, they would kiss, and everything would be normal again.

As much as Santana wished she could will this into reality, the hollow feeling in the pit of her stomach told her that after 5 years, this time was different.

* * *

"_Britts, I don't__** want**__ to go to this without you! It's gonna be terrible. I don't understand why my dad's making me go. I'm 13. I'll be 18, like…tomorrow. I should be able to decide. Besides, he only wants me there so he can pimp me out to one of his stupid co-worker's sons. Hmph."_ The latina whined into the phone as her best friend, forever the optimist, tried her hardest to convince her that she would have fun.

"_Oh, don't be that way San. I'm sure you'll make loads of friends there. Everyone always likes you,"_ Brittany chirped fully convinced of the certainty of her words.

It was only making Santana more upset. She had never been good at making friends. Brittany had literally fallen into her lap during a game of musical chairs when they were 6. She 'd met those striking blue eyes and smiled for the first time since starting school. That was enough for Brittany, who quickly smiled back, linked their pinkies, and never let go.

"_No, B. Everyone is afraid of me," _Santana corrected before she continued. _"They're only nice to me because they're scared." _

Brittany was silent for a moment and Santana could almost hear the gears turning in her head as she struggled to find the right words.

She could imagine Brittany sitting in her window sill, an adorable crease wrinkling her brow as she chewed nervously on the antenna of her cell phone; a habit she'd developed after she and Santana had both gotten Bluetooth headsets for Christmas.

Santana smiled at the thought.

"_Umm…maybe you could try being nice to someone other than me? If you let them see how wonderful you really are San, they won't stand a chance!"_

Brittany hesitated on the first part, unsure of how Santana would respond, but finished with so much sincerity that Santana flushed bright red, not that ethnic people do that. (;)

When she didn't respond Brittany spoke again, her voice laced with sadness.

"_I'm sorry, San. I have to go to jazz now, but I'll come over after the party okay? Please try to have fun. For me? I just know you'll meet someone special today! I can feel it!" _

She could tell Brittany really believed it, so Santana promised to keep an open mind.

"_I swear Pierce, you're nothing but sunshine and rainbows, aren't you?" _Santana teased.

Brittany giggled and Santana's stomach fluttered at the sound.

"_Uh huh, and unicorns. You forgot unicorns. I love them."_ Brittany inserted matter-of-factly.

It was Santana's turn to giggle now at her best friend's innocence. _"I love you, B," _she said warmly.

"_I love you, infinity San. Bye,"_ Brittany replied brightly. She had taken to adding infinity to the statement because she thought "2" was _"too small a number to love somebody." _

"_Only Britt…"_ Santana thought as she grabbed her purse and trudged down the stairs where she found her father already in the car. He scolded her for taking so long and declared that she was going to be late.

During the drive, her father was rambling on about how this party was so important because he wanted to open a new practice with this doctor and building friendships on all levels was the key. Yeah, friendships. He might as well have put her in a wedding dress and offered a dowry for all the subtlety he was employing. She understood that it was the kid's birthday, but he wasn't getting any special presents from her. Not today anyway.

Santana nodded occasionally, feigning attentiveness but turned to stare out the window completely when he mentioned school dances.

Her father was getting annoyed at her obvious lack of interest in the conversation, but Santana didn't care. The nerves from earlier had returned and she wanted to crawl into a hole.

After what seemed like an eternity, her father pulled up to the curb in front a house with balloons hung all around. He shooed her out of the car and agreed, after a few minutes negotiation, to come back for her in EXACTLY 1 hour. Santana took a deep calming breath, and slowly made her way around the side of the house.

She had arrived later than everyone else and was assessing the situation when she saw a girl with straight, chestnut hair sitting in front of the refreshment table over by the big bouncy house. She looked completely miserable.

She quickly scanned the party for any other stragglers coming in, but everyone was there and everyone had paired up except for her and this miserable girl.

This was a new feeling for Santana. Being alone.

She had always had Brittany with her, but today dance class had claimed her. So there she stood, very much alone and very much aware of how badly she needed a friend no matter whom that friend may be.

She returned her attention to the girl across the lawn. Santana approached her confidently, easily slipping into her HBIC persona and strutting over, her long curly hair bouncing with each step.

"_I'm Santana Lopez. What's your name?" _Santana says nicely enough, but with a definite tinge of superiority, as though the girl should be honored that she even bothered.

The girl looks up from the cell phone in her lap with an unreadable expression, but shrinks back a millimeter when she sees the attitude written on Santana's face. Her sparkling green eyes narrow as they catch the young Latina's brown ones and Santana is speechless. They stayed like this for a few seconds, just staring in a heavy silence. The girl searched Santana's eyes a moment longer, rolled hers, and looked away without a word.

Santana wanted to walk away and try to join another group conceding that this girl apparently didn't know who she was dealing with, but she was fixed in her spot by an unknown force as she waited for the girl to acknowledge her presence.

After a few moments, Santana was still standing awkwardly in front of the girl, arms folded, and still wearing the same expression as before, intensified by the girl's obvious rudeness. Just as Santana was about to walk away, she finally speaks, and Santana had never heard a more glorious sound. The girl's voice was smooth, raspy, and dripping with annoyance.

"_Ugh, you're not going to leave me here are you?" _she said, twisting her hand around and examining her fingernails as she spoke.

Santana was reeling from hearing the girl speak for the first time and as she tried to formulate words in her mind, the girl found her eyes again and Santana instinctively softened her expression. This girl had the second most beautiful eyes she'd ever seen and she could feel herself slowly getting lost in them. The girl tilted her head and snapped her fingers in front of Santana's face.

"_Hel-loooooo. Is anybody home in there,"_ the girl said, a confused look crossing her features.

Santana lightly pinched the skin at the inner curve of her arm, willing herself to focus. She was losing her cool. As she was about to revert back to her bitchy demeanor, she thought of her promise to Brittany.

She sighed softly, and did her best to remain confident. But Santana was all too aware of the girl staring steadily at her, and this had reduced her to a mumbling fool.

"_Oh, sorry!" _she said feeling suddenly flushed as she fidgeted under the intensity of her counterpart's gaze.

Desperate to change the subject and also to divert the girls piercing eyes, Santana looks to her left and finds her savior.

"_Umm, don't you think it's weird that a 13 year old boy has a bouncy house at his birthday party?" _she asked, trying to strike up a conversation with the girl. She was never good at small talk. In fact, she hated it.

Yet there she was, prattling away like a mindless idiot.

"_I mean, I know he's totally spoiled but if I could have anything I wanted, this would certainly not be what I asked for,"_ Santana affirmed laughing nervously and suddenly feeling the urge to take a lock of her hair into her mouth and blow it out again. It was one of her more…unique nervous habits that never failed to earn her judgmental looks from those who witnessed the action.

"_Umm, are you always this talkative?" _the girl finally interjected halfway through Santana's tirade on the evils of the birthday boy's sweater vest.

Stunned into silence by her bluntness, Santana swallows and then begins _"No. I'm so sorry-"_

"_Aimilee," _the girl finally reveals. "_My name is Aimilee. It's like Emily, with an "A,"_ she explained, allowing a grin to cross her pink lips as she spoke. _"Aimilee Donahue."_

Santana flashed a shy smile and continued her sentence.

"_I usually don't talk so much. It's just been a while since I talked to anyone who wasn't instantly petrified of me," _the latina admitted honestly. _"I'm a little out of practice."_

At this, Aimilee lost her composure and her breathy laughter escaped filling the air around them.

"_Seriously? You seem so innocent! Who would be scared of you?"_ Aimilee asked, slowly winding down from her fit of amusement. She blinked at Santana, waiting for her response.

Santana stood for a moment sorting through her thoughts. She didn't know what had shocked her more; that she was actually letting this girl talk to her this way or the fact that she thought Santana was innocent!

Regaining some of her confidence, Santana shot back _"Oh, trust me. I am anything but innocent."_

She tried to assert herself with as much conviction as she could muster, but there was still an almost imperceptible waver in her voice as she spoke. Judging from the way the brunette was eyeing her, she had noticed it.

Aimilee settled back into her chair and hummed out an exaggerated _"Mmmmmm…" _and bit down on her bottom lip.

She looked up at Santana through her eyelashes. _"…maybe not," _she said, licking her lips, "_but I doubt you're on my level."_

Santana tried to come up with a witty reply, but she was distracted by the tingling heat suddenly rushing over her body.

"_I think I'm on your level," _she managed, thankful that her voice had stayed even.

Sitting up straighter, Aimilee quirked an eyebrow at the curly haired girl in front of her, _"You do?" _she deadpanned, her voice oozing with skepticism and intrigue.

Santana felt a familiar tug beneath her stomach that, up until this then, had been reserved for the moments after she and Brittany went swimming in her pool.

They would hurry up to her room, sprouting goose bumps as they ran dripping and shivering through the air conditioned house. When they reached Santana's room, Brittany would drop her wet towel on the floor and sprint to the warm relief of the shower. Santana's stomach would flip as soon as she heard the stream of water lessening in intensity until it stopped. Five seconds would pass before she heard the familiar voice calling out to her.

"_San, you forgot to bring me the dry towel again."_ Brittany would sing out, just as she did every Saturday.

Santana had not forgotten the towel. She had fetched if from her parent's bathroom as soon as Brittany got into the shower. She'd been pretending to "forget" the towel ever since the first time Brittany had asked her to bring it to her.

That first day, Santana had handed Brittany the towel around the shower curtain and was shocked when she yanked the curtains back a few seconds later.

Brittany had stepped out of the shower with the towel on her head instead of wrapped chastely around her torso. Santana had been mesmerized but she managed to choke out,_ "Brittany. Why is the towel on your head and not on you?" _she had demanded as she struggled to keep her gaze in a neutral zone.

Brittany being Brittany had just smiled and said, _"That's easy, San. If I dried me off before I dried my hair, I'd just get all wet down there."_

She gestured to the area from her neck down, although her choice of words had done nothing to help the Latina's situation.

"_My hair's at the top so I dry it first. Everyone always says to start at the top."_Brittany concluded.

This particular brand of "Brittany logic" was one of the main reasons why Santana loved her best friend so much. This did nothing; however, to distract her from the pressure that was building in her hips as Brittany shamelessly ruffled the towel through her hair.

Santana understood what those feelings, that pressure, meant, but she reasoned that Brittany could hardly know the effect she was having on her best friend.

This girl Aimilee, on the other hand, knew exactly what she was doing to Santana. She could see it in her emerald eyes as they roved over Santana's body and in the sly smirk she was currently sporting as she studied Santana's reaction.

The evident aura of triumph emanating from Aimilee as she waited for a reply flipped a switch inside Santana. She wasn't sure where it came from, but Santana felt unexpectedly certain of what her next move should be.

She walked forward and took the seat next to Aimilee, surprised that she had remained standing for so long. She relaxed into her chair as a low chuckle rang out in her throat. Aimilee's breathing increased slightly, due to the close proximity. Santana, drunk off of the electricity pulsing between them, leaned a little closer.

"_I don't think I'm on your level…"_ she purred still inching forward as she spoke.

"_I know," _Santana whispered and was pleased to hear Aimilee's breath catch when she did. At this point, Aimilee turned to face her and they locked eyes.

Santana continued to move closer to the brunette, never breaking the eye contact. She had blocked out all sounds of the party and could now only hear the 2 hearts beating intensely between them. She felt that flush of heat washing over her again and she was so close now that their breath had begun to mingle together.

Santana was centimeters from them when she finally broke the gaze to glance at her partner's lips. They were slightly parted, and Aimilee's breaths were coming in short gasps. Santana was beginning to doubt whether or not she had the strength to execute the plan she had formulated minutes before.

Remembering that there were probably people watching, Santana refocused her mindset on her original task. She closed the space between them tilting her head slightly as she went. A hair's width separated their lips when Santana swerved to the left at the last minute to reach behind Aimilee.

She grabbed a cookie off the table and took a satisfying bite as she watched the brunette attempt to even out her breathing. Her face was visibly flushed, and Santana smiled when she saw the girl inconspicuously cross her legs.

"_Wow. I think I underestimated you Ms. Lopez,"_ Aimilee remarked running a hand through her tousled hair, her face now sporting an attractive pink glow.

Feeling flirty and still buzzing from earlier, Santana replied, _"Don't worry. I forgive you, but you'll have to make it up to me somehow."_

Sensing the turn the conversation was taking, Aimilee was quick to respond _"Oh, well then. Aimilee Donahue is at your service," _finishing it off with a seductive wink.

Just as Santana was about to continue their banter, she heard a familiar voice and quickly remembered where she was and what she was supposed be doing.

"_Santana, how did you and Brian get along?" _her father asked not bothering to mask his eagerness. She stood and shot Aimilee an apologetic glance.

Suddenly very interested in the grass, she replied _"Ermm, he was great. I was just telling my new friend how MUCH I liked his sweater vest._" At that she spared a discrete wink to Aimilee.

Catching on immediately, Aimilee dove into an exaggeratedly detailed account of how much fun Santana and Brian had had.

"_Yeah, he's a great guy. A little handsy if you ask me, but most boys are at this age," _she ended.

Shock and awe crossed Santana's face as her father went ashen, as he attempted to all but drag Santana out of the backyard. She promised her father she would meet him at the car in five minutes and returned her attention to Aimilee.

"_Thanks so much for your help. I completely forgot I was here on "serious family business"_ Santana said, doing a passable impression of her father.

"_No problem. I'm just bummed my entertainment is leaving me so soon," _Aimilee said sighing.

Santana thought for a moment, as she looked into the girl's green eyes full of so much life.

"_Hey well if it's alright with your mom, you could come to my house for dinner," _she blurted out.

"_But only if you want,"_ she added self consciously after a beat of silence.

"_Where do you live?" _Aimilee asked, pulling out her phone. Santana told her, and the brunette began texting furiously. After a minute, her phone buzzed and a dazzling smile spread across her face.

"_My mom says its fine. You only live a few blocks from us anyways," _she said trying to hide her enthusiasm.

"_Okay great, Aimilee!" _Santana squeaked and began to move towards the exit gate. She stopped when she felt impossibly soft hands close around her wrist.

"_Aimi. Call me Aimi," _she said blushing as she squeezed Santana's wrist before releasing it.

Santana nodded and they walked in a comfortable silence out to her dad, who was again waiting impatiently in the car.

She explained what was going on, but she had known her father wouldn't care anyway. He would drop her off and run back to the practice until father did reconsider Santana's involvement with Brian, and the two teens giggled in the backseat as he spoke mostly to himself. He was mumbling about how, if he had his way, Santana would never speak to Brian or any boys again.

As she glanced over at the girl sitting next to her, Santana had a feeling that wouldn't be a problem.


	2. Are You Alright, Santa?

**Author's Note: I don't know how quickly I'll be able to keep getting these chapters up. It doesn't take me long to write them, but I don't know how much time I'll have. I'll try to keep it weekly at the worst. Thanks so much for the reviews! I truly appreciate it! xoxo**

**P.S. My Brittany has a little bite;) **

**Chapter 2:**

**Are You Alright, Santa?**

"_Hey, you've reached Brittany! I'm not here right now so leave a message after the-What is it called again San? A tomb? OH! Tone! Yeah, leave a message after that! Bye!"_

Santana pressed the end button and squeezed her eyes shut as silent tears made their way down her cheeks.

She had listened to that message at least 30 times already, and each time it had broken a little more of her heart.

She'd stopped leaving messages after attempt number 11, but she kept dialing, not because she thought Brittany would answer but because it was all she could do to relieve the helpless feeling that had taken root in the pit of her stomach.

Santana didn't know where Brittany had gone when she stormed out of her apartment so abruptly. She called Brittany's roommate and her old friend, Quinn, to see if Brittany had gone home but if she knew anything, she was keeping her mouth shut.

Not knowing where she was or who she was with was driving Santana into a panic.

"_I'm sure she's fine. She's just out clearing her head. She WILL come home soon,"_ Santana thought to herself, attempting to push away the morbid thoughts currently seeping into her mind.

Just as she is working herself up again, she feels a light buzzing next to her left thigh. Her heart skips a beat when she sees the name illuminated on her screen and she almost forgets that she needs to answer the phone.

"_Hello! Brittany? Where are you! I'm so sorry, baby! Please. I can't tell you how sorry I am that I didn't see. Let me make it up to you! Tell me where you are, I'll come get you!" _Santana exclaims, barely pausing between inquiries and apologies to allow the girl to respond. When she finally starts to breathe again, Brittany speaks.

"_Don't,"_ Brittany says in a tone that Santana hadn't heard her use in 5 years.

"_Santana, I want you to stop calling me. Just. Stop. I don't want to talk to you right now, and the ringing is driving me insane. Stop," _Brittany says in a voice so dull and lifeless that Santana hardly believed it could be hers.

Defeated, Santana shakes her head in refusal. _"I can't stop. If I stop then you'll think I don't care about you and I need you to know that it's YOU. It'll always be y-"_

Brittany interrupts her, _"What I need right now, is space. Okay. Give me space. I'll talk you when I'm ready. Oh, and tell _her _she can have that necklace she's been dropping hints about. She's been after it for years… She seems to like taking my things." _With that, Brittany hangs up, and Santana is left dumbfounded.

* * *

Just as she predicted, Santana's father had hurried the girls out of the car when they arrived at the Lopez residence, not even bothering to pull into the driveway. He murmured something about being home late, and sped away leaving them standing awkwardly on the curb.

Santana rolled her eyes and began walking up towards the house, motioning for Aimi to follow her. She wasn't at all surprised when her father had made his hasty retreat, but when she keyed in the security code and was faced with an empty garage, her stomach fell.

Her mother was supposed to be home from her trip today, and had promised to make Santana a big meal to celebrate her and Brittany making the Cheerios squad as incoming freshman.

That had been the only reason she'd dared ask Aimi over for dinner. She thought that for once, there would actually **be** dinner.

She sighed as she led Aimilee into her empty house, ignoring the quizzical look she shot Santana when she noticed the 2 foot ceramic duck wearing a bowler hat perched on Santana's porch.

"_Uh, is there anyone here?" _Aimi asked as she followed Santana through the house and towards, what she assumed was Santana's living room.

Santana plopped down onto a nearby couch, suddenly exhausted, and replied, _"No. I shouldn't have asked you…I'm sorry... My mom was supposed to here…. And dinner….She promised…"_ She trailed off as she struggled to hold back the tears that were inevitably forming behind her eyes.

She looked up at the girl standing across the room, exerting one last failed attempt to contain her tears before they came cascading out, her tanned skin glistening in the soft light of the sunset.

Aimilee stood conflicted and in a state of shock, watching the Latina in such a vulnerable state, unsure of what or if she should try to do anything. This was a lot to process considering she'd only met Santana 2 hours prior.

Acting on instinct, Aimi slowly made her way over to the couch where the crying girl was sitting. Santana, who was emitting full blown sobs at this point, was shocked when she felt warm arms wrap around her shaking torso and pull her closer.

Despite her surprise, the touch comforted her and she leaned into the embrace, her breathing beginning to slow as Aimi cooed whispered reassurances in her ear.

Santana finally got her breathing down to a semi normal pace. She still hadn't removed herself from Aimi's grip, nor could she find in herself the desire to do so .

"_I'm sorry I'm such a mess. You must think I'm crazy," _she admitted bashfully, wiping the tears from her eyes and angling herself to look at the girl positioned beside her.

"_Not at all; I think you just need a hug once in a while,"_ Aimi said, smiling as she gave Santana a squeeze and reaching to wipe the last few tears from her eyes.

Now that she had calmed down, Santana became painfully aware of how close the two of them were, and she shivered as Aimi brushed her fingertips softly over her cheek. The reaction was not lost on Aimi who decided to test the waters by running her nails slowly back up the girl's cheek.

So much for Santana's breathing.

The short gasps coming from the Latina were all Aimilee needed to hear in order to know that her little test had gotten the desired results. What she wasn't prepared for was when Santana reached over and began to lazily drag her nails up and down the inside of her arm from wrist to elbow and back again, only barely touching.

Goosebumps appeared as Santana marked her trail, and she had to hold back a satisfied smirk as Aimi's breathing began to mimic her own. She felt her heartbeat increase as Aimi shifted so that she was straddling Santana.

It was clear that she had done this before, but Santana had never been so close to anyone but Brittany and even then it had been totally innocent, at least on Brittany's part.

It had started as any other day would, except that day was special.

Brittany had called to ask her to meet at the park so they could celebrate their 6th Friendiversary! (A holiday of Brittany's creation that marked the day she and Santana first met.)

Santana didn't really understand why they did it, but it made Brittany happy so she went along with it, making cards and even getting her mom to bake a cake for it one year. This year, however, Santana had taken it a step further and gotten Brittany an actual present.

A beautiful necklace with a diamond studded sun as the charm. Santana knew they weren't real diamonds, but it was just as pretty and she knew Brittany would love it.

When Santana arrived at the park she looked around, squinting into the sunlight as she tried to spot Brittany. She realized she had forgotten her sunglasses in the car and was glad to see that her mom hadn't pulled away yet. She was just about to head back to the car when she saw a flash of blonde hair, and then she was suddenly on the ground, sprawled out on the soft grass with a very eager Brittany hugging her.

"_Britt…You're kinda crushing me," _Santana had sputtered, and Brittany immediately released her looking horrified.

"_Omg, San! Are you okay? I'm sorry! My mom says I get carried away sometimes. Except, I never really go anywhere because I'm still here so I don't really understand what it means….Anyways. HAPPY FRIENDIVERSARY!"_ Brittany said all in one breath as she beamed down at Santana.

When she made a move to sit up, Brittany remained on top of her. She just sat smiling into Santana's face as her wavy blonde hair blew in the cool breeze. She looked breathtakingly beautiful, and Santana was mesmerized as she stared into Brittany's sparkling blue eyes.

Their noses brushed as she straightened up, and she reached around the blonde to pull her into a real embrace. Brittany then wrapped her legs around Santana and held her tighter as they hugged.

They had gotten lost in each other arms and hadn't cared about the strange looks they were receiving from the few people at the park that day. When they broke apart, both of them had been grinning.

"_Happy Friendiversary,"_ Santana breathed out as she reached into her pocket and handed Brittany a small velvet box. Her eyes widened as she accepted the tiny gift and Santana chuckled.

"_It's not an engagement ring, B. Calm down,"_ she teased, closing her eyes to get some relief from the sun, since by now her mom was long gone. Just before she closed them, a shadow of something, which looked to Santana like disappointment, ghosted across Brittany's features before she gleefully opened the box.

"_Ooooooh, San! It's so pretty!" _Brittany squealed as she held the necklace up and let the stones catch the sunlight.

"_Mhmm,"_ Santana mumbled, not really looking since she'd spent the better part of her morning fiddling and admiring the necklace.

"_Can you help me put it on San?" _Brittany asked practically bouncing on Santana's lap in excitement. Santana smiled and opened her eyes. She pressed their foreheads together as she brought the two ends of the chain around Brittany's neck and clasped them.

"_I'm gonna wear it forever and ever,"_ Brittany promised, looking into Santana's eyes.

As Santana reached to free Brittany's golden locks from under the necklace, she grazed the skin just beneath her ear and had been surprised to feel the blonde tense and suck in a hasty breath. _"There. It's perfect,"_ Santana declared as she lay back on her elbows in the grass, shutting her eyes again.

A few moments passed, and they had just stayed intertwined that way, enjoying the closeness of their friendship. Then Brittany leaned forward and kissed Santana on the cheek, lingering only a beat longer than was customary. Santana felt her hips move a fraction of an inch off the ground and she opened her eyes.

Santana blinked as she felt tingles on the spot where Brittany's lips had just been. She was abruptly very hot and very aware of Brittany on top of her.

The blonde was smiling at her again, but this time there was a hint of a smirk behind her lips as she said, _"Are you alright, Santa?"_ Santana cringed at the sound of Brittany using her least favorite nickname. She only used it on special occasions when she knew she could get away with it.

The Latina narrowed her eyes playfully. _"WHAT did you call me?" _she asked with as much menace as she could, while still letting Brittany know that she was playing.

Brittany began to scoot backwards on Santana's knees, preparing herself to sprint when the time was right. _"I…called…you…SANTA!"_ Brittany confessed and then she was off before Santana had a chance to even stand up.

"_Your freaking long legs, B! SO not fair!"_Santana screamed as she ran after her, the earlier moment of uncertain heat forgotten as she chased her best friend around the park.

Yes, that moment had started out with innocent fun and a loving moment shared between two best friends.

This moment, however, was very different.

Santana could feel it in the way her breath had become ragged. She could feel it in the way her body had tensed when Aimi slid down to meet Santana's hips with her own.

She could feel it in the way Aimi was looking at her and how that look alone was sending shivers down her spine.

This was indeed very different.

Santana wasn't sure how long they sat there, breath mingling and foreheads pressed together, neither daring to speak a word; neither wanting to make the first move…until it happened.

Aimilee dipped her head down and placed a chaste kiss on Santana's neck. It was hesitant and full of questions. Santana stiffened, but didn't object to the contact and so Aimi continued.

Another more confident kiss followed the first and another after that until Aimilee was peppering forceful determined kisses all over the unexplored skin of Santana's neck.

Santana felt like her body was on fire and she attempted to stifle a cry of pleasure as Aimi bit down softly on her pulse point. She thought she might explode as Aimi reached a hand up to tentatively palm her small breast. When Santana openly moaned and arched into the touch, Aimilee squeezed and Santana was in bliss.

She was overwhelmed by all the sensations and emotions she was feeling in that instant and couldn't wrap her mind around what was happening to her on her couch with this girl she just met.

Santana knew she should stop and evaluate what was going on, but she could hardly bring herself to interrupt as Aimi's hand snaked down to the exposed skin at her waist and scratched softly as her skillfull tongue worked its way along the length of her neck.

"_She has clearly done this before,"_ Santana thought to herself as she fisted her hand into the brunette's hair pulling her closer. She dug her nails firmly, but gently into Aimi's scalp and the brunette let out a whimper. Santana bucked her hips at the sound.

After a few moments, Santana guided Aimilee up to look at her. They looked into each other's eyes each asking the silent question, _"Should we take it further?"_ alternating between eyes and lips, silently inviting each other to take the plunge.

Santana moved first, edging slowly towards the full, pink lips hovering just inches above her own. They were centimeters apart when she heard the sound of her front door closing, with pronounced force.

"_San?" _a voice called out.

Santana paled.

Brittany.

"_Shit,"_ she whispered pushing a confused Aimi off and attempting to readjust her ruffled hair and clothing, urging Aimi to do the same.

Just as Santana smoothed out her shirt, Brittany rounded the corner smiling from ear to ear.

"_Hey San, I-Oh…I…err…didn't know you had company. I let myself in with the key you keep under the duck hat for me," _Brittany explained blushing and looking down at her shoes.

Santana couldn't help but smile at the adorable blonde in front of her.

"_A-hem…"_

Santana had forgotten that Aimi was there.

She introduced them awkwardly, _"Uh, Britt…This is Aimilee. I met her at the party today…Aimilee, this is my friend Brittany."_

Aimi raised her eyebrows at Santana when she spoke the word "_friend,"_ and Santana swore she saw Brittany's smile falter as she flinched slightly.

Brittany took a deep breath, smiled, and extended her hand to the stranger, _"It's nice to meet you!" _she said in typical Brittany fashion, but Santana, having known Brittany for years, could see that she was exerting considerable effort to keep her smile intact.

Aimi studied the blonde momentarily, running her hand through her disheveled hair (she hadn't bothered to fix it), before she reached out to shake her hand, smiling.

"_It's nice to meet you too. So tell me, how long have you guys been friends?" _Aimi asked politely, smirking as she sensed Santana's discomfort.

Brittany also sensing it, strode forward and positioned herself, rather obnoxiously, between the two girls as she said, _"Oh San and I have been __**best**__ friends…" _she started, making sure to emphasize the word, _"…since we were in diapers. Well actually we were 6, but Santana was a slow learner with that whole… 'potty training' thing,"_ she explained, dropping her voice to a whisper at the last part and when Aimi snickered, Santana could have died right there.

Brittany only smirked, obviously aware that she had embarrassed her friend. _"We've done everything together. __**All **__of our firsts," _she continued, narrowing her eyes slightly as she spoke.

"_So,"_ she said turning to Santana, _"When is uh…Emily leaving?_ Brittany asked, her back completely turned to the brunette as she waited for Santana's reply.

Santana shifted uneasily in her seat, wishing that she could take Brittany aside to see what was bothering her. She was never this rude to anyone and while Santana was mortified, she could see Aimilee struggling to contain her laughter behind Brittany.

"_ACTUALLY,"_ Aimi said, louder than necessary to ensure she got Brittany's attention,_ "Santana was nice enough to invite me over for dinner."_

Brittany shifted around, slightly _"Oh, really? Well my mom said that San's mom won't be home till late,"_ she said turning to back to Santana. _"Her flight got delayed in Phoenix. Your mom couldn't get a hold of your dad, so she asked me to tell you since she knoooows I'm here __**all**__ the time," _she explained.

Santana wanted to crawl in a hole. She was glad Brittany was here, but she was acting so strange and Un-Brittany –like. She wasn't sure what had gotten into her best friend, but whatever it was, it was making her very uncomfortable.

"_Oh, okay. Well Aimi, I guess you could call your mom now. I'm probs just gonna make Britts and me some pizza or something,"_ Santana said dejectedly.

Aimi nodded but made no move to get out her phone, and even though Santana had only known her for a few hours, she could tell she was plotting.

"_Where's your kitchen?"_ she suddenly asked, a wicked smile lighting up her green eyes. Santana pointed her in the right direction, and she took off.

"_What's up with you today?"_ Santana asked gently nudging Brittany as she took her hand and gave it a squeeze.

Brittany sighed, but before she could answer Aimi ran back in and Santana instinctively dropped Brittany's hand.

She had hoped Aimi wouldn't notice, but of course she did and she gave Santana a flirty wink before she spoke.

"_I am going to make you guy's dinner! Lasagna sound good?" _

Neither of the girls on the couch spoke, so Aimilee shrugged, taking their silence for acceptance, and pranced off to start her preparations. Before she got too far, she doubled back and stuck her head around the corner.

"_Oh, by the way Brittany, I really like your necklace!" _she said still smiling sweetly. Brittany reached a hand up to cover the necklace, almost protectively, before she muttered a forced _"Thanks." _Seemingly appeased, the brunette once again disappeared around the corner.

Once Aimilee was completely distracted by noodles and cheeses, Santana reached for Brittany's hand again and was shocked when the blonde ripped it away and glared at her. Brittany studied her for a moment, and then her face softened back into the sweet loving look she normally wore. She scooted over so that she and Santana were well within each other's personal space and let Santana take her hand, reaching out to stroke the underside of Santana's jaw with her other.

The Latina closed her eyes and leaned into the comfortable touch. Brittany pressed their foreheads together and whispered, _"Nice Hickeys."_

With that she let go of her friend and moved towards the door, only stopping to pick up her dance bag which she had abandoned in a closet on her way to the living room. Santana, still stunned by what had just happened, came to her senses and ran to the door to stop Brittany.

She placed a hand on the blonde's shoulder and Brittany spun around, clearly on the verge of tears. She stared at Santana, using the time to get her emotions under control.

Santana tried to guide Brittany back into the living room to talk, but Brittany glanced down at her bruised neck and shook her hand away.

Brittany narrowed her eyes at the Latina,_ "Don't."_

_

* * *

_

**I should also specify, Santana hasn't even had her first kiss yet. Keep that in mind. I wanna see if you guys catch on to what actually happened at the end.**


	3. Santana Can Do What She Wants

**A/N: Hey guys. I'm soooo sorry it took me so long, so I present to you an almost 6,000 word chapter yaaaaaay! I took down the old one and just re uploaded the whole thing, that made the most sense to me. There's a lot revealed here. It's a VERY Brittany centric chapter as it ventures back to the day the three of them met to show it from Britt's POV. It was important for you guys to see that. Uh...I kinda liked writing from her POV so I might just switch between them every now and then. Anyways. Enough of my rambles. Read. Enjoy and know that everything is not always what it seems:)**

**THANK YOU FOR ALL OF THE LOVELY REVIEWS!**

**XoXo**

* * *

Santana is on edge.

It has been days since her conversation with Brittany and she never does well when the blonde isn't speaking to her.

Even though this is a rare occurrence, she **never** does well. The large empty bottle of Tequila sitting next to her proves it.

Every time her phone rings signaling either a new call or text, her stomach flips with anticipation, but every time it sinks just as quickly when she sees the name flashing on her screen.

Finally getting fed up in her intoxicated state, she snatches the phone when it starts ringing for the 5th time that hour and all but shouts, _"What, Aimilee! What is so freaking important right now?_

The line is silent for a few seconds and then she speaks, _"I-I-uh…I'm worried about you. You were supposed to call me a week ago."_

"_I never said I'd call you."_

Aimi's voice is audibly more timid as she responds, _"Oh…well considering everything…I thought…"_

"_You thought what?" _Santana snaps.

"_Did you think I'd just come running to you right away? Is that what you wanted? For me to just forget the past 2 years of my life and run into your awaiting arms?_" she continued, slurring her words as her concentration is overpowered by her frustration.

"_Well lemme clear this up for you," _she starts, ignoring Aimi's attempts to interject and letting the alcohol talk for her, "_I am not giving up on my relationship. Especially not for you." _

"_But…she was so angry. You heard what she said- NO! It's my turn to talk now, Santana," _Aimilee insisted, becoming more confident and now speaking over Santana.

"_Listen to me. She's never going to forgive you after this. You're better off with me anyway. You always have been. Ever since the first day I met both of you, I could see the connection between you. I understood what it meant even if you didn't, and I knew from then on, that I'd always be competing with her. But there's a reason you always end up back here with me, Santana, when your 'precious' Brittany throws one of her tantrums. Sure, she's my friend, but simply because it was my only way to keep you around while I waited for you to figure out what I'm telling you now. Yeah, I grew to love her, but since you don't trust yourself around me, Brittany was my in."_ Aimilee finishes, now waiting for what she knows will be a heated reply.

Santana is stunned into silence. She can't believe what Aimi had just revealed to her and it hurts her more to think that she has only used Brittany all these years to get closer to her.

The realization that she had taken advantage of Brittany's sweet and trusting nature to further her own selfish aims left a bitter taste in Santana's mouth that had nothing to do with the alcohol.

She can feel the anger welling up inside of her as she struggles to keep her voice even and her slurs to a minimum, "_Aimilee. You're my friend, and I hope one day we can move past this, but there is one thing that you need to understand. I will not tolerate you speaking about my girlfriend like that ever. Maybe I don't trust myself around you, but what does it say about our relationship if I was willing to give you up so easily, huh?"_

Aimilee scoffs loudly at the question before she begins. The fire that's been crackling softly within her for 5 years evolving into a blaze and fueling her words as she speaks.

"_Ha, yeah you're sooooo committed to your amaaaazing relationship. Whatever. How about I give Britts a call right now and tell her the truth huh? What if I'm in THAT kind of mood Santana? I know she's not the smartest cookie, but I'm sure even SHE asked questions and I'm sure you lied. I don't want to hurt her, so don't push me San. You're my best friend, but don't push me."_

Santana pales as she considers the challenge behind Aimilee's words. They have an understanding, and she was threatening to rip that out from under her with one phone call. That couldn't happen. Brittany would never forgive her; she'd be heartbroken.

Santana sighs and makes a point to adjust her tone before she speaks, _"Look. I'm sorry that I trivialized what we are to each other. I know that I ask a lot of things from you that you don't have to give me, but you do and I do appreciate it. But I am __**going **__to work on getting Brittany back and you are __**going**__ to have to accept that. I know it hurts, but it doesn't matter. I don't care what you have to say about it at this point. Brittany has been a part of me for much longer than you have and I'll be damned if keep allowing you to make me forget that." _

The last part came out sounding harsher than Santana meant it, but she figures it's probably better that way.

They sit in silence for several minutes, listening to each other breathe, neither knowing what to say now that all the cards were on the table. After 10 minutes, Aimilee finally speaks.

"_Fine, Santana. Sit alone and wait for her like always," _she says pausing only to chuckle knowingly, "_Drink away your sorrow because that's SO original… but if the last 5 years are any indication, we both know you'll be back. You'd just better hope I'm still here and haven't had any 'slips of the tongue' before then."_

At that, the line goes dead.

Santana, allowing her drunken anger to overtake her, hurls her phone across the room and is sobbing uncontrollably before the last broken piece hits the ground.

* * *

Ever since the day Brittany had unwittingly stumbled onto the very private and very heated moment that her best friend and the new girl had been sharing on the former's couch, she'd been struggling with her emotions and more importantly, what they meant.

Brittany had been going over the events of that fateful day in her head over and over, trying desperately to make sense of the emotions coursing through her, but every time she came to the same conclusion and it terrified her.

When Brittany's mom had dropped her off at the Lopez's, she had skipped happily up to the duck she had insisted they keep on their porch, removed his hat, and located the spare key hidden beneath its feathers.

She hadn't bothered knocking since she'd assumed that Santana would be home alone, and she'd let herself into the house plenty of times before.

After she was safely inside and undetected, she had gingerly opened the hall closet and set her dance bag inside. She had then tiptoed toward the living room, hoping to surprise her best friend, quickening her pace when she heard the sobs echoing out of the area.

It only took seconds, as the front door and the living room were only a few steps apart. Brittany had almost stormed into the room, but luckily had stopped short behind a plant when she realized that, while her best friend was indeed crying, she was not alone. She peeked around the branches to examine the events unfolding before her.

While she knew that the girl currently trembling on the couch was indeed her best friend, the figure holding her tightly against them was a stranger to Brittany. She studied the girl, taking in her shocking green eyes, her tanned glowing skin, and the wavy locks cascading over her shoulders; the girl was beautiful and Brittany was mildly annoyed by it.

She wasn't sure why she hadn't just made her presence known and gone over to comfort the sobbing girl, but something about the way they'd adjusted to look at each other held her steady in her concealment.

Brittany watched as this new girl wiped the tears from Santana's eyes and tentatively ran her fingertips over the Latina's cheek. She could see the acceleration in Santana's breathing, but hadn't been prepared for the girl to respond to the touch by tenderly stroking her counterpart's arm, smirking as the girl mimicked her own reaction.

The blonde girl had felt her stomach clench and churn uncomfortably. She could feel several emotions washing over her as she'd continued to observe the two girls, still too stunned to move from her hiding place.

A moment of uncertainty descended upon the pair on the couch as the Latina had continued to lightly caress, not willing to take it any further. Brittany had felt her heart drop as she'd watched the stranger swing her leg around and slowly position herself on top of Santana.

Brittany had half heartedly expected her best friend to shove the girl off and hit her with that trademark "Wtf, bitch?" look that she had been perfecting all summer, but judging from the way the two were gazing at each other and the sound of their ragged breathing, nothing of the like was going to happen anytime soon.

She wasn't sure how long she had stood there watching them watch each other, but when she saw the first sign of movement her breath hitched and she could feel the lump forming in her throat.

Brittany had been mesmerized as she'd watched the green eyed girl press her lips to Santana's neck briefly, pulling back to gauge the Latina's reaction. Santana visibly stiffened, but remained silent and any hope she had held onto that her best friend would eventually stop this disappeared as lips came in contact with skin once more.

After the first kiss, the dynamic between the two girls became much more urgent. Brittany stared on, ever watching, as a hand crept up to palm Santana's breast. The blonde was surprised to hear a gravely moan escape the brunette's throat.

She was more surprised at herself when she felt heat beginning to pool between her thighs as Santana arched into the touch tangling her fingers in the other girl's hair while she continued lavishing attention to her neck.

Seeing her best friend in this way, so uninhibited and natural, had been beautiful and it had affected Brittany in ways she had not yet come to understand. She had always felt connected to Santana in a special way, but she had written it off as them just being best friends. Now she wasn't so sure.

The blonde had been so caught up in her thoughts that she hadn't realized that the girls in front of her had stopped and were gazing at each other hesitantly. Brittany had seen their eyes flickering down to each other's lips, and she was unaware that she had been unthinkingly backing away.

Her back hit the door and she had jumped, but hadn't made a sound. She could still see Santana resting against the couch, looking into the girl's eyes. When she saw her best friend begin to inch forward, her intent clearly evident in her darkened eyes, something had clicked on in Brittany.

She had been watching the scene unfold from the beginning, and while it had inexplicably hurt her to see Santana being this intimate with someone, she had unconsciously taken comfort in knowing that they hadn't kissed.

Neither Brittany nor Santana had ever kissed anyone, and it had only been a few days since the two had discussed the matter.

They had been lying in Brittany's bed with their legs intertwined and hands on each other's hips as they faced each other. The blonde waited expectantly as she watched her best friend, deep in thought; struggle to find the words she needed.

"_Britts, we're starting high school this year and I want everything to be perfect for us," _Santana had finally whispered that afternoon.

Brittany had been absentmindedly dancing her toes along Santana's calves when she spoke.

"_It will be perfect San, because we'll have each other. I'm cute and you're scary. Who's gonna mess with us?"_ she'd teased, but Santana hadn't smiled.

"_That's what I'm talking about Britt. I _am_ scary. No one will ever want to be with me, and we can't be on Cheerios without boyfriends. It's like blasphemy or something,"_ she had continued, avoiding Brittany's gaze.

Brittany had been taken aback by her best friend's display of vulnerability. She knew that Santana never let her guard down; never lowered the HBIC mask that she wore every day, at least not for anyone other than her. The realization had made her feel special and she was immediately compelled to reassure the shaken girl.

"_San, you're amazing. I keep telling you. You just have to let everyone see what I see. People would be crazy not to want you….and you're totally hot,"_ she'd added in, earning a small giggle from Santana.

"_I know you're right Britt, but I'm still scared. What if everyone DOES hate me and I'm forced to become one of those geeks that join the Glee club and don't get their first kiss until they're 20?"_ Santana rambled out frantically.

"_Hey. HEY! Breathe, San. They won't hate you, and I think glee club could be fun! I loooove dancing San and I've heard you sing when you think no one's listening,"_ Brittany had said as she placed a finger under Santana's chin, forcing her to look up into deep blue eyes.

"_You don't need a boyfriend to get a kiss, Santana. You're beautiful and anyone you choose will be lucky. You also don't need a boyfriend to be on the Cheerios. You would scare the shit out of anyone who dared bug you about it anyways… and I don't even think I want a boyfriend…"_ she finished, not really sure why she'd mentioned the last bit or what she meant by it.

Santana had still been looking into her eyes when she ended and, Brittany's skin had been humming as the gaze washed over her. There had been love in that gaze. Love and something else she hadn't been able to decipher before it was gone.

Wanting to lighten the mood, Brittany had playfully squeezed Santana's hip and said, _"Besides, if you can't find any takers, you can always just kiss me!"_

Santana's eyes widened at the offer and she cut her eyes away from Brittany, blushing heavily as she sputtered, _"Wha-What? Why, um…Why would I wanna kiss you?"_

"_Because. We started tumbling class together, and we saw our first PG-13 movie together, and we got our first bras together for goodness sake! We do all of our firsts together, Santa. This doesn't have to be any different." _Brittany had clarified matter-of-factly, confused when she realized Santana hadn't even flinched at her choice of nickname.

"_I guess…when you put it that way. I still think it'll be a while before I find anyone I even want to kiss, so no worries," _Santana had added, slowly relaxing as Brittany reached up to run her fingers tenderly through her hair.

"_Good, but if you don't, you always have me,"_ the blonde said with a smile.

Santana had once again looked away and nodded, that same undeterminable look crossing her features as she glanced up to Brittany's lips.

"_I think that's an excellent plan, Britt."_

It had then been Brittany's turn to blush.

Standing with her back against Santana's front door, watching in slow motion as she leant up towards the girl in front of her, Brittany had realized how much she really wanted to be Santana's first.

She didn't understand it, but she knew that the desire was there now that the possibility was slipping away. She very rarely got angry, but as she refocused on the two girls on the couch, she had felt the animosity welling up inside her.

With the anger and jealousy came a crippling realization.

Brittany wanted Santana.  
She wanted to be her first.  
She wanted to be her only.

It all made sense, and as soon as she had admitted it to herself, mild terror ripped through her system. Unable to deal with her new found revelation then, she had begun wracking her brain in search of a solution to her current dilemma.

Brittany, who is actually a lot smarter than she was generally given credit for, had remembered in that moment that she was _supposed_ to be there. Santana had been expecting her. She had quickly opened the front door and slammed it shut; loud enough that she was certain it could have been heard next door, let alone a few feet away in the living room.

She had readied herself for the confrontation and innocently called out, _"San?" _ as she began making her way into the living room, walking slower than necessary.

Brittany had smirked triumphantly as she observed Santana shoving the other girl out of her lap and hastily attempting to fix her hair.

It had brought her a sickening mixture of pleasure and comfort to know that Santana would try to hide this from her.

Brittany plastered on the biggest smile she could manage, as she rounded the corner on the two girls, ready to begin her performance. She hadn't been planning to confront Santana right away if she was even going to do it at all, so until she decided, she had had to play her part.

"_Hey San, I-Oh…I…err…didn't know you had company. I let myself in with the key you keep under the duck hat for me,_" Brittany had explained looking down at her shoes sheepishly.

She had been pleased to see Santana looking at her adoringly (and completely ignoring the girl on the couch).

"_A-hem…"_ The girl had noticed the silent exchange taking place and had felt it necessary to remind them of her presence. Brittany hid her smirk as she took in Santana's frazzled state.

She had introduced them awkwardly, "_Uh, Britt…This is Aimilee. I met her at the party today…Aimilee, this is my friend Brittany."_

"_Friend?"_ Brittany thought. Not best friend. Not even good friend. Just _"Friend." _

The title of their friendship had never bothered her before, but given the circumstances, Brittany hadn't been able to stop her smile from faltering slightly as Santana obviously downplayed their relationship for Aimilee; she had noticed the attempt also, and had quirked an eyebrow at Santana skeptically before she turned her attention to Brittany.

Brittany had taken a deep breath, smiled, and extended her hand to the stranger_, "It's nice to meet you!" _

Aimilee had chosen this moment to bring attention to her blatantly make out mussed hair, by running her hands through it, trying to fix it haphazardly. It was almost as if she had been rubbing their activities in Brittany's face.

_"It's nice to meet you too. So tell me, how long have you guys been friends?" _Aimi had asked politely, smirking as she deliberately preyed on Santana's discomfort and challenged Brittany.

Brittany, despite her sweet and gentle nature, had never been one to back down from a challenge. It was a side of her she didn't get to show much, so she relished every opportunity.

She had confidently strutted forward and positioned herself, rather obnoxiously, between the two girls as she said_, "Oh San and I have been best friends…" _shehad started, taking care to place exaggerated emphasis on the word "best" before continuing, _ "…since we were in diapers. Well actually we were 6, but Santana was a slow learner with that whole… 'potty training' thing," _she had explained in a whisper.

Aimi had laughed at the seemingly unintentional embarrassment that Brittany had bestowed upon Santana. The Latina had looked as if she wanted to run from the room.

Brittany had only smirked, knowing that she was running the situation.

_"We've done everything together. All of our firsts," _she had continued, cutting her eyes to convey the seriousness lying underneath the seemingly idle banter.

She had known that was making Santana uncomfortable, but the emotions fueling her actions had told her to take it further.

_"So," _she said turning to Santana_, "When is uh…Emily leaving? _Brittany had asked, purposely creating a human barrier between the two girls and pretending not to remember Aimi's name.

Brittany had watched carefully as her words washed over Santana_. _She could see that her friend was confused about her behavior and she had been satisfied.

The words Aimilee spoke next had come out of left field and had left Brittany shaken.

_"ACTUALLY, Santana was nice enough to invite me over for dinner."_

Brittany had felt that uncomfortable clenching in her stomach again. Santana had never invited her to dinner before. Sure, Brittany was always around, but there had never been that formal invitation, and it rattled her.

Feeling the sudden need to prove her status again, Brittany had began, "_Oh, really? Well my mom said that San's mom won't be home till late_," she had said before turning to back to Santana._ "Her flight got delayed in Phoenix. Your mom couldn't get a hold of your dad, so she asked me to tell you since she knoooows I'm here all the time." _

She had dragged out the word "know" in order to emphasize that she was here a lot, and that wasn't going to change.

Brittany had then returned her attention to Santana, only to see her looking as uncomfortable as she did before, if not more so.

_"Oh, okay. Well Aimi, I guess you could call your mom now. I'm probs just gonna make Britts and me some pizza or something," _Santana said dejectedly.

The blonde had been able to sense her disappointment at having to end the evening, but she had been pleased to hear that Santana had chosen to have her stay.

Aimi had nodded, but something in the way she paused told Brittany that this was far from over.

_"Where's your kitchen?" _she had suddenly asked, a wicked smile lighting up her green eyes. Santana had directed her away, and she had scampered off eagerly leaving the two best friends alone.

"_What's up with you today?" _Santana had asked gently nudging Brittany as she took her hand and gave it a squeeze.

Brittany had sighed, almost willing to forgive what she had witnessed earlier as a momentary lapse in judgment, but before she had been able to speak, Aimi had run back in and Santana had abruptly dropped her hand.

The blonde had felt her blood boil as she watched Aimi take in Santana's action and wink at her before she had announced, _"I am going to make you guy's dinner! Lasagna sound good?"_

Neither Brittany nor Santana had spoken, and so Aimilee had shrugged and pranced away. She had been gone only a few seconds before she popped back into the room.

_"Oh, by the way Brittany, I really like your necklace!" _she had said, still smiling sweetly.

Brittany had reached a hand up to cover the necklace, almost protectively, before she muttered a forced_ "Thanks." _It was the necklace Santana had given her the previous year for their friendiversary, and something about Aimilee liking it, didn't sit well with Brittany.

Seemingly appeased by Brittany's reply, the brunette had once again disappeared around the corner.

Brittany had studied Santana as she listened for confirmation that Aimi wasn't coming back before reaching out to grab her hand again.

She had snatched it way and glared, finally letting her true emotions come to the surface. Brittany had known that she would never get the reaction she wanted from Santana if she started out angry, so she had made a conscious effort to soften her features.

Feeling assured in what her next move would be, she had moved closer to Santana and delicately stroked under her jaw. She had willed herself not to recoil as Santana leaned into the touch, pressing the burning marks on her neck into Brittany's hand.

The blonde had moved in closer, giving her best friend time to fully relax before whispering, _"Nice Hickeys."_

With that, she had leapt up and stormed off to get her dance bag and leave before she broke down. Brittany had let Santana know that she knew what happened and that it had hurt her. She had not been ready to discuss it any further than that.

Brittany had almost made it out the door when a warm familiar hand clamped down on her shoulder, spinning her. It had taken all her strength to hold the tears inside, but even in doing so, Santana knew that had been on the verge of tears.

All she had been able to do was stare at Santana in disbelief. She hadn't been able to think of any words at that moment. Brittany had felt the hand, still on her shoulder, gently pulling her away from the door.

She had almost given in until she looked up and her watery blue eyes had locked onto smug green ones. Aimilee had been watching their exchange the entire time. It was ironic when Brittany thought about it later, but then it had only angered her further.

Sparing one last look at the bruises on her best friend's neck, Brittany had shaken the once comforting, now intrusive, hand off and narrowed her eyes.

"_Don't," _Brittany had muttered before she stalked out of the house.

She didn't speak to Santana for 3 days after that, and when she finally had, Brittany had insisted on not wanting to discuss it further. Satisfied with that, Santana had eagerly insisted that Brittany get to know Aimilee, and she reluctantly agreed to try.

The whole ordeal had caused a big mess, and it really wasn't any of Brittany's business when it all came down to it.

Even armed with this logic, she still couldn't shake the sinking feeling in her stomach when she would catch them looking at each other.

Brittany couldn't ignore the blush that crept into her best friend's face or the involuntary eye roll that slipped past her mask of contentedness when Aimi brushed her lips to Santana's cheek, as she had taken to doing so very often lately.

The only good thing about the situation was that Santana had become much more physical with Brittany, almost as if she was trying to make up for sharing her affections with someone else.

The blonde was not complaining, and it also helped that Santana had sworn to her that she and Aimi hadn't been intimate after that day.

While she had never asked Santana that question, Brittany was glad her best friend told her just the same. It seemed that deep down, Santana understood that she would have wanted to know.

Now, 2 months later, Brittany found herself sat in front of Santana's vanity, with the green eyed girl smiling happily down at her, makeup perfected.

Brittany wasn't an unfair person. She had long since admitted to Santana that Aimilee was a nice girl. She would even go so far as to say that the three of them had fun together, but they all knew that under the surface, there was a conflict bubbling that no one wanted to address.

The three girls were preparing for the first dance of the school year, and so the tension was at a tolerable level that day.

Earlier in the summer, Brittany and Santana had agreed that they would attend the dance together so that from the start everyone would know that they were a package deal.

Plans were changed when the Santana found out a week after the unpleasant incident that Aimi would be starting at William McKinley High School in the fall also.

She had suggested they get ready for the dance together, much to Brittany's dismay.

The blonde had had her heart set on starting the year off right, and in her mind that did not include a 3rd wheel.

Santana had promised Brittany that they were still a two-shot, no matter what and since Aimilee had a date with a pimply sophomore, Brittany reluctantly agreed that there was no harm in getting ready together.

"_San…Saaaan…SANTANA!"_ Brittany all but screamed from her position in front of Santana's vanity. The Latina had been in the bathroom putting the finishing touches on her hair when she heard the commotion.

Dropping the flat iron, she took off towards her bedroom, only to find Brittany in the exact same position as when she left.

"_Jesus, Britt! Are you TRYING to give me a heart attack?"_ Santana questioned, attempting to catch her breath after her mad dash from down the hall.

Santana could see the apologetic look on Brittany's face in the mirror, but the blonde refused to move.

"_San, there's a floating spider. It's like a magic spider! That's cool and all I guess, but it's hanging in front of my face. I can't move!"_ Brittany revealed, only pausing to breathe after all her words were out.

She wasn't really scared of spiders, so long as they weren't near her. This spider however was way too close for comfort and the blonde girl whimpered as it descended further, placing itself directly in her line of vision.

Santana cringed. She hated spiders, well all bugs in general actually, but she also knew that Brittany may as well have been duct taped to that stool as far as her ability to handle this herself was concerned.

Santana inched forward slowly just as the door to her private bathroom swung open and she was met with a pair of perplexed green eyes. She motioned for the girl not to move and continued creeping forward.

"_What are you guys doing?"_ Aimi asked as her gaze darted back and forth between a horrified Brittany and a queasy looking Santana.

"_Spider," _Santana clarifies and Aimi could hardly hide her amusement. Glancing back at Brittany, she noticed the little black speck suspended in front of the blonde's face.

Aimilee rolled her eyes at both of them and motioned for Santana to stay where she was and winked at her.

At this she turned her attention back to Brittany and confidently walked over to the vanity, clapping her hands in front of the frozen girl's face, thus eliminating the problem.

Brittany breathed an audible sigh of relief as she watched Aimi go back into the bathroom to wash her hands.

"_That was so close, San. I thought it was gonna eat me!"_ Brittany breathed out and Santana could only smile at her best friend.

Just then, Aimilee exited the bathroom once more, all evidence of the offending spider forgotten.

"_Thanks for killing the spider, Aimi,"_ Brittany said politely. Even though the three girls had been hanging out fairly regularly for the past 2 months, she still hadn't quite warmed up to Aimilee just yet.

Sure, Santana had gotten pretty close with her, but Santana could do what she wanted.

After the spider incident, they spent the last hour with dresses and heels flying, curling irons burning, and eyebrow pencils sharpening as the girls worked to achieve their desired looks.

"_So! Are you guys ready yet!" _Aimi asked excitedly, her slinky black slip dress bouncing as she trotted into the bathroom one last time.

She had paired the dress with sparkly gold heels that accented her diamond studded hoop earrings.

A sleeve of equally sparkly bangles hung from one arm and her hair was curled and then pulled into a messy ponytail at the nape of her neck on the right side.

Side swept bangs and curly tendrils framed her face and Brittany mentally kicked herself for staring. Even she had to admit; the girl looked good.

"_Yeah, I'm mostly ready. I just can't get the zipper on this thing," _Brittany mumbled as she struggled. She had opted to wear a fitted, satin one shoulder dress in purple. The shoulder had a big flower on it and she had pinned her blonde locks back into an elegant bun.

Brittany shivered as she felt soft, familiar hands at her waist. _"Here. Let me get that,"_ Santana whispered as she kept one hand on Brittany's hip and used the other to tug at the stubborn zipper.

Santana hooked the closure at the top of the dress and pressed her chin into the space between Brittany's neck and shoulder, admiring their reflections.

Santana, always one for the drama, had selected a multi toned, sequined strapless dress that hit her mid thigh and had spent the majority of the afternoon taming her naturally curls into a sleek straight style.

"_You look hot," _the Latina commented with a smile.

Brittany blushed and corrected, _"No, we look hot, San... I'm glad you're my date,"_ she added self consciously.

Santana opened her mouth to say something else, but no words came out as her gaze drifted to the figure that was currently exiting her bathroom.

Brittany deflated as she watched chocolate eyes rove over Aimi's frame and up to meet the girl's gaze.

"_Whoa, Aims. You look amazing,"_ Santana said in awe as Aimilee gave both girls a knowing smirk.

"_I know," _she replied winking. _"I was just about to tell you the same thing…You too Britt," she added with a smile._

"_Yeah, thanks…"_ Brittany muttered. Just then Aimilee's cell phone rang, signaling that her date was outside waiting to pick her up.

"_Okay guys, I'll see you there I guess!"_ Aimi chirped.

Santana, who had yet to remove her gaze from the brunette, simply watched as Aimi gathered what she needed and bounded down the stairs and out of the house.

Brittany sunk back into the seat at the vanity and stared at her reflection; she looked tired.

Santana moved behind Brittany and stooped to wrap her arms around the girl pressing a kiss to the side of her neck and then leaning forward to press another kiss to her cheek.

The three girls had learned this dance well; whenever Santana showed attention to Aimilee, she would subsequently find ways to show more attention to Brittany (and vice versa), more often than not, after other girl was gone.

They had also noticed that the lines establishing the "best friend appropriate" touches and affections had become decidedly blurry as of late.

The blonde sighed dejectedly and the grip around her waist tightened.

"_You okay, B?"_ Santana asked, her thumb gently stroking against Brittany's hip bone.

"_Yeah, I'm fine San." _

Taking a deep breath, Brittany forced her usual smile on her face and continued, _"Let's just get this over with, huh?"_

* * *

**Okay so a I made a lot of decisions while I wrote this. A lot of things are going to happen and I know Brittany's characterization might seem a little off (it did to me), but trust me it'll work itself out for what I'm planning:) Please...PLEASE review and recommend it to your friend if you like it! Thanks you guys rock!**


	4. Ducks Are SO Lame

**FINALLY! I'm back! I'm SO sorry about the wait, but I couldn't get inspired and I was working on other fics and blah blah blah my excuses. HERE IS CHAPTER 4! It's a little different and there's a lot of Quinn in this one, but I think it works well. Also, I wrote a little from Quinn's perspective, a little from Brittany's and a little from Santana's. I think it flows okay but if you guys don't like it let me know and I won't do it again haha. So they're at the dance! What will happen? Hope you guys like this chapter and THANK YOU FOR ALL THE REVIEWS and thanks to my fellow HEYA lovers that pushed me to finish this! Long Author's note is LONG! XoXo**

**Also here's what they're each wearing and their hair/makeup. I'm all about visuals.  
****I haven't gotten to describe Rachel yet but here it is just the same. Now you know that in my mind, Aimilee is Mila Kunis...even if she only has one green eye. LOL**

**http:/ i55. tiny pic . com/2qnaxpd. jpg**

**^Take out the spaces:)**

* * *

"_Quinn….QUINN!"_ Brittany all but shouts at her roommate sitting next to her on the sofa.

"_Oh…What Britt?"_ Quinn replies as she shakes herself out of her previous dazed state.

"_You were staring at me weird…again."_ Brittany deadpans and she smiles when Quinn blushes and looks away.

"_I'm sorry Britt, but I just think-" _Quinn begins, but Brittany is quick to cut her off.

"_Don't go there. Remember what we decided." _She knows where this conversation is headed and she'd really, _really_ rather not go there.

"_I know Britt, but you didn't talk to her the other day. You didn't hear how broken she sounded. Don't you think you're being a little immature? It's naive to think that this is the best way to handle this, B," _her roommate continues, a serious tone snaking its way into her words.

People have been calling Brittany "immature" and "naïve" for most of her life. She usually just brushes it off because she knows deep down that she's more intelligent than she likes to let on. In this instance however, she feels like maybe everyone's been right all these years.

Brittany sighs and pauses for a moment before speaking, _"Naïve, huh? Kinda the same way I didn't pick up on what was happening in front of my eyes for what? Probably 2 years now? Is that the same kind of naïve Quinn?"_

Quinn looks away from her, ashamed. The blonde has been trying her hardest to get Brittany to agree to at least talk to Santana, but her roommate was adamant on maintaining her silence.

Brittany hadn't even seemed to care when Santana had called Quinn looking for her, and she had insisted that Quinn say she didn't know where she was.

"_No, that was insensitive of me. But I do think that you guys need to talk. It's been over a week now, and Mercedes told me that she hasn't been to class at all,"_ Quinn explains and she can see Brittany's resolve weakening at her words.

Her phone chirps, and when Brittany picks it up to read the new message, Quinn continues hoping to finally get through to her.

"_No one else has even talked to her, Britt…Maybe you could jus-"_ Quinn stops abruptly when she registers the scowl taking over Brittany's features.

"_You're wrong…." _she says, glaring at her cellphone. Quinn reaches out a hand, tentatively placing it on her shoulder.

Brittany shakes it off and storms off to her bedroom, tossing the phone onto the couch so that Quinn can read the message.

_Aimilee 9:45pm__  
"Hey, Brittany. San hasn't been answering her phone and when I talked to her yesterday she seemed pretty beat up. I was just wondering if you'd spoken to her today…Oh, I'm sorry too."_

Quinn rereads the message three times to be sure she's understood it correctly. To a stranger, the message would seem harmless enough, but she knows who she's dealing with and her blood boils as she closes out of the message.

"_That manipulative bitch. I know it's been a while, but I think I'm gonna have to remind her of who she's dealing with,"_ Quinn remarks to herself before rising from the couch and beginning the long process that is coaxing Brittany out of her bedroom, for the 7th day in a row.

She can already hear the sobs as she approaches the door and Quinn sighs, _"Yeah. That girl is seriously going to get it. Santana too…"_

* * *

School dances are lame. Seriously lame, but Santana knew that she had to keep up appearances if she wanted move up the social ladder at William McKinley.

That's why when her mom dropped her and Brittany off at the front of the high school, she cleared her face of the nervousness she was feeling, and strutted inside like she owned the place.

Santana smirked triumphantly when she saw the heads turning in her direction. _"Britt, this is going to be cake,"_ she whispered. When Brittany didn't answer, she noticed for the first time that the blonde was not flanking her.

Where the crowd had parted easily for Santana, it had closed back up just as quickly before Brittany could get through. There wasn't much difference between the two girls; they were both freshman, both Cheerios, and both exceptionally pretty.

Brittany, in Santana's opinion, was actually prettier. From her impossibly long legs, to her shiny blonde hair, to her striking ocean blue eyes, Brittany was beautiful, but she didn't know it.

She didn't own it in the same way that Santana did, and thus, other people didn't notice her nearly as much as they should have.

Santana moved back through the crowd towards the door and found Brittany huddled off to the side, standing with all the typical wallflowers.

It took copious amounts of self control not to laugh at the obvious contrast between Brittany and the rest; most of those girls were a makeover reality show's dream.

"_Britt, __**what**__ are you doing over here?"_ she demanded when she finally made her way over to the blonde.

"_I'm sorry, San. You were just walking so fast; there were so many people and then I couldn't see you anymore. I was getting smushed, so I came to talk to Rachel," _Brittany remarked with a smile.

Santana then turned her gaze to the short, brunette currently looking out over the dance floor with a worried expression on her face.

The three girl's had been friendly, maybe even friends, in middle school, and it amused her that Rachel was trying her best to avoid drawing Santana's attention.

"_Berry? You can't be serious B,"_ Santana scoffed, not even bothering to mask her complete disbelief at the idea of Brittany talking to Rachel.

Rachel-freaking-Berry? Santana knew that Brittany meant well, but she really had to nip this idea in the bud. There was too much at stake.

Santana didn't hate Rachel; not by any means. But she had also known for about a year, that Rachel was destined for a bottom feeder social status in high school, and so she reluctantly, turned up the bitchiness around her.

It was around Brittany's last birthday when it became clear to Santana that things were about to change. Santana and Brittany had gathered everyone at lunch to hand out the invitations to Brittany's party.

The party was always hosted at Santana's house, because of her pool, so everyone wanted to be invited.

The thing with Brittany was that she usually _did_ invite everyone. It wasn't until Santana's mom had complained about the noise and the messes, that Brittany's parents suggested she scale back the guest list this year.

The two of them had spent all of the previous afternoon making the invitations look fierce, and were excited to pass them out to all of their friends, who would be equally excited to receive them.

"_Ducks, San! Duuuuucks!" _Brittany had squealed in Santana's ear as she put the finishing touches on the party invites.

"_Britt. I'm not putting ducks on the invite. We're 13 now. That's so lame," _Santana had giggled out, but Brittany was not giving up that easily.

She had poked Santana in her sides until she squirmed onto her back to escape the torture.

"_Britt!" _she had choked out between giggles, _"Quit it!"_

Seeing her opportunity, Brittany had quickly swung her leg over, placing her knees on either side of Santana's hips, while she simultaneously pinned the Latina's wrists over her head.

"_It's a pool party, right? Well what does a pool look like? A pond, right?"_ Brittany inquired, leaning forward to hover over Santana's face. She had long since stopped struggling, and had been mesmerized by the clear, blue eyes peering down at her.

"_And what do ponds have, Santana?"_ Brittany prompted. Her blonde hair had cascaded over her shoulders as she brought their faces so close together that Santana had been able to feel Brittany's breath against her lips.

Santana had blinked up at her a few times, trying to decide if she should argue, before conceding with a sigh, "_Ducks."_

"_Thaaaat's right,"_ Brittany had replied smugly before dropping down and placing a playful kiss on the tip of Santana's nose.

"_So make with the ducks Lopez!"_ she had exclaimed, finally releasing her vice-like grip on Santana's wrists and rolling off of her. Santana had groaned, but began drawing small….no, miniscule, cartoon ducks at the edges of all the invitations.

The look of pure elation on Brittany's face had made it clear that she had made the right decision.

Early the next day, before everyone was gathered to hand out the invites, Santana had overheard some of the more "popular" girls in her grade talking and her ears had perked up when she heard Brittany's name.

"_Oh my god, you know Brittany's party is coming up right?"_

"_Yeah, I know…but I really hope she invites less people this year. It's always so crowded…" _the girl had started, and Santana had been, for once, glad her mother was so uneasy about clutter and crowds._"…with nerds. Like last year she invited Rachel Berry. Ew."_

At that, she had stiffened. She had known that Rachel wasn't the most appealing person to be around. Her habit of talking incessantly and over explaining tended to grate on people's nerves if they weren't used to it.

"_Yeah they're apparently friends or something…"_

"_Ugh, well she'd better rethink that before we get to high school. Brittany's nice, but they'll eat someone like her alive if she doesn't watch her status, even with her personal bodyguard on full duty,"_ the girl had let out with a laugh.

"_Totally. Lopez is all kinds of intense when it comes to that girl. It's a shame really. I probably won't go if they keep inviting the riff raff."_

After hearing this conversation, it was then that Santana decided that things were going to change. She was going to make something of herself and of Brittany in high school, and anyone who compromised that would have to go.

It was for that reason alone that she had gone to Brittany's locker and taken Rachel's invite, and a few others, out of the pile before lunch.

It was for that reason alone that when Rachel came up to the table smiling, Santana had laughed cruelly and told "man hands" to beat it.

It was for that reason alone, that Santana had looked away when Rachel ran off crying.

She might not have been so harsh about the whole thing if they had been somewhere else because really, even she wasn't _that_ big of a bitch, but there under the watchful eyes of their peers, lines had to be drawn. Clearly.

Later that night, she had tried to explain to a scowling Brittany, why things had to be this way.

Brittany had just seemed annoyed with Santana about the whole thing, but Santana knew that the blonde would also never even consider giving up her best friend for Rachel, no matter how wrong she thought the whole thing was.

The problem had been that Santana had assumed that Brittany didn't understand how people worked, but if she had really paid attention she would've seen that she probably understood a little better than most.

_That _is why when Brittany had seen the passion and conviction and tinge of fear in Santana's eyes, she had agreed to drop one of her oldest friends like garbage.

They had argued about it briefly, but eventually Brittany had given in to what Santana was demanding.

Santana had simply smiled at her and hugged her tightly, whispering "_Thanks, B. I told you. I just want everything to be perfect for us."_

The Latina had breathed a sigh of relief at not having to deal with the drama of being friends with Rachel, but was still worried. Brittany would always be friendly to everyone. It was just her personality, and it wasn't going to change without effort.

Santana had known then that it was going to take a lot of adjusting and reminders before Brittany truly embraced the persona that being at the top of the social ladder thrust upon you.

"_You can't talk to Rachel at school anymore, Britt. It's bad for our reps. You want everything to be perfect for us right?"_

"_Of course I do, San. I just didn't think me talking to her for a few minutes would matter that mu-" _Brittany started.

"_Well. It does. Okay? C'mon, we've been standing here with man hands too long as it is,"_ Santana spit out, directing her last comment more to Rachel than to Brittany.

Brittany looked as though she wanted to apologize, but Santana saw Quinn Fabray approaching and so she dragged her off into the shorter blonde's direction.

She really didn't want to hurt Rachel, but being on Cheerios made her feel like she had no choice.

That's why Santana threw Rachel one last eye roll before leaving, just to make sure she got her point across. It would be a lot easier to keep this up, if she could actually make Rachel hate her.

"_Hey guys," _Quinn said smiling brightly; a little too brightly. Brittany reached out and hugged Quinn tightly.

The two had known each other since they were younger because they had been in the same dance classes.

Santana had never warmed up to her, but figured that since Quinn was on Cheerios with them now and slowly but surely building up her own popularity, she might just be a useful ally.

"_Hi Quinn! You look so pretty! I love your dress!"_ Brittany chirped, beaming.

Quinn was wearing a black, corset style, two-tone dress that had black polka dots covering the nude bottom. Her makeup was light and her hair was falling elegantly over her shoulders in soft curls.

"_Haha, thanks Brittany. You guys look great too…So what were you doing talking to Rachel?"_ Quinn asked, gesturing towards the miserable looking girl.

The question seemed innocent, but Santana could practically see the superiority complex in Quinn's eyes, behind the smile.

"_Oh…no reason. Britts and I were just making sure that man hands over there knew her place,"_ Santana replied nonchalantly, desperately hoping Quinn wouldn't interrogate further.

She could see the discomfort the subject was causing all over Brittany's face, and Santana knew she would have to have another talk with her about how things were going to work from then on.

"_Yeah. Looks like you guys really let her have it," _Quinn offered after a moment of studying Rachel, and Santana breathed a sigh of relief.

Just then, Santana felt her phone vibrating, and fished out or her clutch to see that she had a new message from Aimi.

_Aimi 8:36 pm  
__Hey! Meet me at the coat check in five. I've got a surprise I think could turn this night around…but don't tell Britts;)_

Santana smiled at the message and quickly texted one back. She was confused about the last part, but assumed that Aimi would explain why she didn't want Brittany to come when she got there.

_San. I. Am. 8:37 pm  
__Oh geez. I'll b over in sec. xo_

"_Who was that?" _Brittany asked curiously, peering over Santana's shoulder to look at the messages on her screen.

"_Uh. Nothing. No one. I mean… I gotta go. I'll see you guys in a bit. Aimilee needs my help with something,"_ Santana sputtered, snapping the phone shut and shoving it back into her purse.

Brittany's face dropped and Quinn was eyeing her curiously as she scampered away, sparing one last smile in their direction before the crowd enveloped her.

"_What was that about? Who's Aimilee?" _Quinn remarked, turning her attention to Brittany, who was still staring at the space where Santana had disappeared. _"Britt!"_

"_Oh, sorry Quinn. What were you saying?"_ Brittany muttered, looking totally defeated.

"_I said, who's Aimilee?"_

"_Oh. She's Santana's….uh, she's just this girl San met over the summer. She's new here…"_ Brittany explained.

"_I see. Hmm, what's her last name, Britt?" _Quinn asked.

"_It's Donahue, I think. Why?"_

"_Ah! I knew that name sounded familiar! She's on JV Cheerios! I remember seeing her name on the list,"_ Quinn said as she took in the disdainful responses Brittany seemed to have towards every mention of this girl.

"_She's on Cheerios too? Ugh, now I'll never get away from her,"_ Brittany sighed, moving over towards the table and chairs set up around the auditorium and taking a seat.

Quinn moved to sit down next to Brittany and placed a comforting hand on the girl's back. They sat like that for a few minutes before Quinn broke the silence.

"_So, are you friends with Aimilee?"_ she prompted, eager to understand why Brittany seemed so upset.

"_Ha, I wouldn't go that far. We hang out because of Santana, but…let's just say we got off on the wrong foot,"_ Brittany said wryly.

"_Oh? What happened exactly?" _Quinn asked as genuine concern and curiosity graced her angelic features. Brittany sighed outwardly before explaining the whole situation to Quinn.

They'd been friends for years and so she felt she could trust her. And since Brittany knew she very well couldn't talk to Santana about any of it, it felt good to get it off her chest.

Fifteen minutes and a few tears later, Brittany finally finished her story and Quinn simply stared, open mouthed for a few moments, processing everything.

Brittany started to get nervous that maybe Quinn would judge her. She'd forgotten that the blonde was very religious and the fact that she was in love with a girl might offend her.

"_Are you sure that you feel this way Britt?" _Quinn asked, her expression betraying no emotion.

"_Yes, Quinn. I've never been more sure of anything."_

Quinn rubbed her temples before continuing, _"Yeah, I kinda assumed something like this would happen eventually. You guys are always SO close. You're practically on top of each other all the time. It's a little gross," _she teased before finishing, "_And you're sure that this girl is pushing the limits just to antagonize you?"_

"_I mean, I don't know that for sure Quinn. There's really no way for me to know, but I can see it in her eyes. I'm sure she likes Santana too, but she knows what she's doing," _Brittany sighed, and Quinn was silent for a minute; thinking.

"_That manipulative bitch," _Quinn breathed out and Brittany didn't know if she was more shocked that Quinn "Jesus is a Friend of Mine" Fabray had just cursed or that she seemed to agree with her.

Quinn took in Brittany's gaping stare and laughed.

"_What! She is,"_ she said like it was the most obvious thing in the world.

Brittany giggled and the two girls spent the next thirty minutes drinking bad punch and dancing underneath the cheap streamers that the school had hung from the rafters.

Everything was going great until Brittany spotted Aimilee and Santana wobbling back into the gym, arms draped over each other. They began dancing together, a little unsteadily, as "What's My Name" by Rihanna blasted from the speakers.

Quinn followed Brittany's fixated gaze and exhaled heavily at the scene unfolding before her eyes.

Santana had Aimilee pressed against the far wall and they were moving together in a way that was hardly innocent, grinding suggestively to the music as their dresses rode up their thighs with every sway.

There was an air of clumsiness to their movements that had Quinn raising an eyebrow, but she was too focused on Brittany to give it any more thought.

When she was sure that the blonde had held back her tears, Quinn returned her gaze to the spot where the two girls were previously dancing, only to find the pair was missing.

Quinn excused herself, leaving Brittany with one of the other Cheerios as she made her way over to the bathroom. When she entered the bathroom, she heard Santana's voice and another she didn't recognize, echoing out of one of the stalls and she paused, standing stock still, to listen.

"_Aims! Hooow much did you put in that?"_ Santana slurred, hiccupping and giggling madly.

"_Ohh not thaaat much. How was I supposed to know that you were such a lightweight?" _Aimilee said, with a little more conviction, but there was definitely a slight slur to her words as well.

"_Who are YOU calling a lightweight. I'm a BOSS drinker," _Santana proclaimed, and Quinn had to stifle her laughter.

"_Yeah sure. It's also your first time so how would you know that huh?"_ Aimilee countered.

It was silent for a few seconds, and Quinn could tell that Santana had stopped moving around in the stall.

"_My…my first? This was my first time….Oh no….Br…Brittany…"_ Santana mumbled out. From the sound of it, it seemed like she had buried her face into Aimilee's neck as she spoke.

"_What does Britt have to do with anything?"_ Aimilee muttered, and Quinn could definitely hear the resentment in the girl's tone.

"_I…I'm supposed to do all of my firsts with Brittany. It's the ruuuulessss," _Santana continued and Quinn smiled.

"_Well. I don't like ruuuulessss,"_ Aimilee said mocking Santana as the Latina giggled loudly.

"_Oh reeeallyyy? Well Aims, what DO you like then?"_

There was more shuffling and Quinn could see from underneath the stall that Santana had her back against the door. Aimilee took a step closer, and Santana stopped breathing.

"_You,"_ Aimilee whispered, and if Quinn had had any uncertainty about what was about to happen, the ragged breathing and soft smacks she heard a few seconds later definitely cleared up the confusion.

Her stomach clenched painfully as she quietly began backing out of the bathroom, leaving the two girls kissing in the stall. They broke apart just as she reached the door and Quinn's heart swelled at what she heard.

"_Do you like me too?"_ Aimilee whispered and there was a pause before Santana hummed and spoke again.

"_Mmmm_, _I like…I like…Brittany."_

* * *

**Yay! I know I'm terrible for stopping there, but it's been so long I wanted to give you guys SOMETHING! I'll def be updating again soon! This dance is far from over;)**

**You guys are awesome! There'll be more Pezberry friendship next chapter (ONLY friendship I can't see anything else) and def LOTS of Brittana goodness. This is all necessary to get where I'm trying to go! ****Also, we'll get to understand Quinn's statement in the first part. I couldn't fit that in yet, but it's coming!**

**Please review! It saves a unicorn... Okay maybe not, but it will make me SUPER happy! **


	5. It's Perfect

**Author's Note: To my Heya thread lovelies who kept asking about this….HERE IT IS!**

**Here is the next chapter! College is done with now so I will FOR SURE be updating more frequently. I'm sorry about the long wait and I love all you guys reading and reviewing this for sticking with me! You guys are really the best. No Present day this time because it's just a continuation of the last chapter where I left you all hanging…sorry about that. Here we go. Lots going on…Lots of Brittana goodness. Also this chapter isn't all consecutive. It jumps scenes as indicated by the breaks. Hope you don't mind it and hope you guys like it! xoxo**

* * *

"_Do you like me too_?" Aimilee whispered and there was a pause before Santana hummed and spoke again.

"_Mmmm, I like…I like…Brittany."_

The tiny bathroom stall suddenly felt too small; too intimate as the weight of her confession descended upon her intoxicated mind.

She saw the disappointment; the resentment in Aimi's eyes and she saw a flash of something more menacing cross her features briefly, but she may have a imagined it. All Santana knew in that moment of silence was that she had to get away.

She had to find Brittany.

Santana stumbled her way out of the bathroom and back towards the dance floor with as much grace as could be expected of her, given her current state.

Her vision was blurred slightly, and her mother's warning about wearing 4 inch heels all night echoed mockingly in her head as she unsteadily trudged her way through the crowd.

Boys grabbed and groped at her as she made her way across the gymnasium and had she been sober, she may have responded, but her drunkenness gave her a vendetta-like focus on her task.

Behind her she didn't hear someone calling her name until a strong hand stopped her dead in her tracks and she spun to face Aimilee looking at her with a puzzled, hurt expression.

"_San, where are you goinggggg? You just raaaaan out on me! You can't DOOO that!"_ Aimilee declared, clearly a lot drunker than she had been when Santana left the bathroom 10 minutes earlier.

"_I'm sorry Aimsss. I gots to find Britz!"_ Santana explained and although the lighting was dim, she's sure she saw Aimilee's eyes darken at the mention of Brittany.

"_Whyy can't you just stay with meeeee?"_ Aimilee whined.

Santana sighed heavily. She really didn't want to talk about this right then and so she began scanning the crowds for a familiar face; _any_ familiar face.

Her gaze settled on the last person she'd ever dare approach in this kind of setting, but in her drunkenness she resigned that Rachel Berry was the lesser of two evils at the moment.

"_Sorry Aims. I gots to go…RACHEL!"_ Santana screamed and a few heads turned in the direction of the noise. She would tell herself later that she probably should not have shouted.

"_Rachieee Berryyyy!"_ Santana slurred as the alcohol once again took over now that the tension with Aimilee had been forgotten.

Rachel appraised her for a moment, taken aback by the use of the familiar nickname, before it clicked.

"_Are you drunk Santana? You haven't called me that since we were 12."_

Santana, for her part, tried her best to look insulted by the accusation, but after a few moments she succumbed to an onslaught of giggles which answered the pint sized diva's question indisputably.

"_So whaaaat if I am, huh?" _she said, looking Rachel up and down as her eyes lingered on the girl's dress.

"_What? What is it?" _Rachel inquired as she took in Santana's fixated gaze on her outfit.

"_Your dress….s'not shinyyyyy…how come?"_ Santana observed and Rachel rolled her eyes as Santana took a step sideways to steady herself before continuing.

"_Brittz said that aaaaall dresses at dances had to be shinyyyy! Or you had to wear good jewelryyy…Guess you missed that memo Berry!"_ Santana concluded, laughing happily at her teasing until Rachel began to speak again.

"_For your information Santana, I chose this particular dress because I felt that its classic silhouette and understated matte color would be a better wardrobe selection since my already shining personality, without a doubt, compensates for any lack of reflective accessories or adornments that you may personally feel my outfit is lacking. I, for one, do not need to distract anyone from my appearance nor do I feel the need to overwhelm people by coupling my already beaming aura with the added 'smoke and mirrors' effect that overly glittering attire provides to those who are too self conscious to don the more sophisticated fashions that I have chosen for myself." _

Santana wasn't sure when she stopped trying to understand what Rachel was saying, but she knew that somewhere soon after _"classic silhouette" _her mind had begun to tune out.

"_Do you…like…__**breathe**__ Berry?"_ the Latina asked as she stared at Rachel blankly until a clumsy football player bumped her from behind.

When she lost her balance for the 3rd time, teetering precariously on her stilettos, Santana felt firm hands encircle her waist, keeping her upright.

She relaxed into the not entirely foreign embrace before she remembered where she was and more importantly _who_ was holding her up.

"_Get your MAN hands off of me Berry!"_ Santana spit out with a slur as she sloppily jerked away from the short brunette's touch.

"_Oh please, Santana. Are you really going to tell me you'd rather have people see you flat on your face than with me holding you up?"_ Rachel asked incredulously.

Santana contemplated this for a moment, staring vacantly out into the crowd before she completely switched gears and grinned at Rachel as the last bit of alcohol she had consumed took its full effect.

"_Hmmm, guess s'not…Take me to Britt Britt, Rachieee!"_ Santana demanded abruptly.

Rachel merely rolled her eyes and tugged the girl along next to her as they searched out the only person who could ever handle Santana.

"_I honestly don't know how Brittany does it…" _Rachel huffed.

* * *

When Quinn weaved her way back through the crowd to find Brittany again, the hopeful smile that graced her features fell when she spotted the blonde.

Brittany looked just as defeated as when Quinn had left her and the sight made her heart ache. She placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder and smiled.

"_Hey Britt, don't look so down. I promise things are gonna get better. I'll see to it myself,"_ Quinn added with a wink, earning her a small smile from Brittany.

Quinn then pulled the other blonde to her feet and started to lead her away from the seating area, walking backwards and whining, _"This dance is almost over and we've barely danced at all. I usually have to drag you off the floor. C'mon show me what I knooow you can do."_

Brittany giggled lightly and allowed herself to be pulled away; willing the music to flood her senses and wash away all the anguish that had built up over the course of the evening.

Just as she was beginning to loosen up, Brittany saw Quinn's eyes narrow in front of her and turned around to see Aimilee determinedly walking towards them.

The tall blonde wasn't really in the mood to see Aimi, but she waved and smiled halfheartedly nonetheless only to be met with a deviously satisfied looking smirk.

"_Heeey Britt Britt!" _Aimilee drawled, spitting out the syllables bitterly.

Brittany cringed as she heard the familiar nickname. She didn't mind the name itself because anything Santana wanted to call her was fine, but Aimilee, of all people, was not allowed to use it. Ever.

"_Uh…Hey Aimi. Have you seen San? I haven't seen her all night…"_ Brittany asked tentatively, taken aback by the bitterness dripping from Aimilee's words.

At this Aimilee's smirk transformed into a cheek stretching grin.

"_Actually, you know I juuuuust saw her in the bathroom. I don't really rememberrrr, but she miiiiight've mentioned something about you after we finished making ou-"_ Aimilee managed to get out before Quinn, who had been watching the whole exchange warily, interrupted.

"_I'm sure she's around here somewhere Britt. We'll just have to find her," _Quinn interjected as she fixed her trademark "Queen Bitch" glare on Aimilee.

She may look sweet, but Quinn definitely gave Santana a run for her money as resident HBIC.

"_You wait here Britt," _she continued, her eyes never wavering from Aimilee's.

"_I think Aimi's gonna help me figure out what Santana's doing. We'll start back at the bathroom, huh?" _Quinn finished, raising her eyebrow and cocking her head to the side at the double meaning behind her words.

Quinn knew the implications were not lost on Aimilee as she watched the understanding slowly wash over the drunken girl's face. Before she could protest, Quinn dragged Aimilee away, leaving Brittany standing confused and alone on the dance floor.

* * *

"_Come along now Santana. I cannot assist you in your quest if you are not willing to put in the sufficient effort necessary to not lag behind. The pace I have set, given the circumstances and our surroundings, should be more than accommodating to you and your current lack of coordination," _Rachel spouted, and Santana could only nod and look at her blankly.

She was truly trying to understand what Rachel was telling her, but the alcohol had slowed her down.

"_Too many words, Rachieee," _Santana whined as she clung to Rachel for balance, and even the pint sized diva had to chuckle.

"_I'm sorry Santana. I have been told that I sometimes have a tendency to speak a little more verbosely than necessary. Let's just keep looking," _Rachel offered, taking a step backwards as she led the shaky Latina.

They spent another 10 minutes weaving their way through the crowd with the last 5 minutes spent doing a couple of laps around the perimeter, hoping to spot the tall blonde.

Rachel was starting to get annoyed until a voice in her ear caused her to jump, almost knocking Santana over.

"_Are you guys done playing Ring Around the Rosie?"_ Brittany inquired innocently.

Rachel, breathing deeply to calm herself responded breathlessly, _"What are you talking about Brittany? We weren't playing anything. We were looking for you."_

At this, Brittany frowned thoughtfully,_ "Oh? Well I mean I was watching you guys go in circles for a while now and then Santana fell over a few times. I just figured you guys were playing and I didn't wanna interrupt."_

"_No Brittany, we were just trying to locate you and now that we have I must insist that you take over the duties of looking after Santana. I feel that I have done more than is my fair share this evening and I would like to take the rest of the night to continue enjoying the festivities devoid of the trials of attending to intoxicated classmates,"_ Rachel insisted as she thrust a wobbly Santana into Brittany's arms.

"_This isn't a festival, Rachel. It's a dance,"_ Brittany deadpanned and shrugged as Rachel scoffed and walked away.

Brittany looked down at Santana in her arms and smiled, _"Hi San."_

Santana had wrapped her arms around Brittany's waist and tucked her head into the crook of the blonde's neck happily.

She murmured a contended _"Hi Britt Britt," _as she felt Brittany's fingers carding through her hair and brushing it away from her face.

Almost as if it were cued, a slow song sang out from the speakers and Brittany closed her eyes and began swaying them gently on the spot, relishing in the feel of Santana's sporadic breaths against her neck.

Brittany hummed softly into Santana's hair as she moved them slowly around the floor, never once bumping into anyone despite the fact that neither of them were watching.

"_Mmm. Britt?"_ Santana mumbled, shifting her arms to encircle Brittany's neck and looking up into her eyes.

"_Yeah San?" _Brittany asked as she continued circling them. She'd unintentionally danced them into a corner at the far side of the gym, next to the DJ. There were only a few couples near them and they were partially obscured by the sound equipment.

"_This song reminds me of you. I like it," _Santana smiled before snuggling back into Brittany and pulling her closer. Brittany felt her heart flutter at the sudden confession.

"_I like it too," _she breathed and began openly singing to Santana.

"_Nobody's gonna love me better. I'm must stick with you forever.  
Nobody's gonna take me higher. I'm must stick with you."_

With her voice barely above a whisper and her lips hovering just above Santana's ear, the gesture was unexpectedly intimate.

Brittany didn't care though; this was their song and meant only for them to hear.

"_You know how to appreciate me. I'm gonna stick with you, my baby.  
Nobody's ever made me feel this way. I'm must stick with you."_

* * *

"_Alright, Fabraaay. What's your angle?" _Aimilee demanded when Quinn finally stopped dragging her around the gym.

Opting for ignorance to gauge the situation, Quinn replied, _"No angle. I just wanna find Santana. If she's in any condition like you are, she __**needs**__ to be found."_

"_Oh, saaave it. You must think I wass boorn yesterday or something. You're up to somethinggg," _Aimilee slurred. _"Spill it, blondiee."_

Quinn sighed, _"I'm not up to anything. I just wanna know what's going on and I want to find her for Brittany. She's been miserable this entire time." _ She smirked at the way Aimilee stiffened at her reasoning.

"_Seems like I struck a nerve huh?"_ Quinn prodded knowingly, her smirk growing into a full grin when something over by the speakers caught her eye.

"_Whateverrr," _Aimilee huffed, "_Let'sss just find her okay?"_

"_No need," _Quinn shrugged, pointing over to what got her attention.

Aimilee followed her gaze to where Brittany and Santana were slow dancing, obviously off in their own world as they held each other.

"_Aren't they just soooo cute together? They'd be such a cute couple, huh?" _ Quinn baited.

"_I mean I gueesss, but I think that San has other optionsss to consider firsttt. We'd be great togetherrr and I'll always have something with her no one else willll"_ Aimilee said ominously.

Quinn feigned puzzlement at those words and continued, _"But look at them! They're perfect."_

"_Yeah. Just freakinn adooorable. Let'ss goo," _Aimilee smirked deviously as she began making her way over to the pair, fully intending to interrupt what was clearly a private moment.

"_Ah Ah Ah. Not so fast," _Quinn scolded, grabbing a hold of the brunette's arm and keeping her rooted to the spot.

Aimilee whirled around, glaring at Quinn incredulously.

"_I was in the bathroom." _ The sentence was simple, but it hit Aimilee like a sobering punch in the stomach. The shorter blonde let the recognition set in before she continued.

"_I know that Santana likes Brittany and Brittany likes her too. I also know the game that you've been playing and it's going to stop. Now," _Quinn spit, glaring.

"_You intentionally hurt Britt, __**ever**__, and you will answer to me. Got it?" _she finished menacingly, losing all pretense of a friendly exchange.

Aimilee shocked Quinn by smiling sweetly and nodding, _"Yeah. You're riiiight. I should let them be. Buuuuuut if Santana comes to me, I'm not gonnaaa push her away. Fair, ice queeenn?"_

Quinn eyed her skeptically before conceding, _"Yeah. Fair."_

* * *

Santana relaxed into the warm arms engulfing her completely and sweeping her away. She loved Brittany's singing voice, but what struck her more in that moment was the pleading tone of the blonde's voice.

It was almost as if Brittany was trying to tell her something. Santana had been vaguely aware of Brittany singing to her, but she hadn't been really paying attention to the words until then. She channeled all her energy into trying to listen.

"_I'm with you; if baby you're with me.  
So don't you worry about people hanging around. They ain't bringing us down.  
I know you and you know me and that's all that counts."_

Brittany held Santana tighter as she sang out the rest of the song, willing her to understand what she was saying to her.

She knew that Aimilee was a part of Santana's life; a part that she sometimes wished wasn't so important, but with Santana in her arms, clinging to her so trustingly, she felt that she might actually have a chance at winning her heart completely.

When the song ended, Brittany pulled back to study Santana's face; to see if any of her message had gotten through to the drunken girl.

"_Are you alright Santana? You look a little pale," _Brittany observed.

"_I…uh…I'm fiiiiine. Jusst maybe need some air."_

"_Oh…okay. Well do you wanna go sit out on the benches? It's almost time to go and you need to sober up before your mom comes anyways." _

Why anyone thought Brittany was stupid was completely baffling. Santana nodded and allowed Brittany to lead her outside.

"_Where in the world did you get alcohol, Santa?"_ Brittany asked curiously as she settled more comfortably onto the bench.

Santana was leaning heavily into her, resting her head against Brittany's shoulder and had slipped an arm across her stomach.

"_D'know…oh wait…yes I do," _Santana giggled, _"I got it from Aims."_

Brittany stiffened. _"Is that what she texted you earlier?"_ she demanded, and if Santana could detect the edge in her voice, she ignored it.

"_Ding Ding Ding. You win the priiiize Britt! You're sssoo smart,"_ Santana declared, and Brittany's irritation melted away.

"_Thanks. You shouldn't drink though San, especially not in bathrooms. It's dirty," _Brittany informed her, crinkling her nose in disgust at the thought.

"_But, we're Cheerios. We're sssposed to drink and stuff and stuff…Wait how'd y'know I was in the bathroom?"_ Santana asked, suddenly panicked by the thought that Brittany might know more than she was letting on.

"_Aimi said she last saw you in the bathroom. Just made sense," _Brittany shrugged. Santana breathed a sigh of relief and relaxed into Brittany's embrace again, squeezing gently.

"_So what's my prize, huh?" _Brittany asked lightly.

Santana sat up from Brittany's shoulder, giggling, _"Well what do I have that yoooou want?"_

Brittany met Santana's eyes and saw the smile slowly fade from the brunette's features as she took in the intensity of her gaze.

"_Everything, Santana. I want everything you have. Not like your clothes or the stuffed dinosaur that you keep under your bed that I'm not supposed to know about…ooops," _Brittany revealed, blushing at her over share. _"I just want you."_

Santana blinked for a moment trying to think clearly through her drunken haze. She felt the tears streaming down her face before she'd even realized she was going to cry.

"_Oh no, San! What's wrong?_" Brittany asked, urgently brushing away the tears. She hadn't intended to make Santana cry and she wasn't really sure how to handle it.

"_No…nothing's wrong…that wass justtt beautifulllll," _Santana sobbed,"_You'reee beautifulll." _

Brittany smiled and whispered a shy _"Thanks" _and the two girls sat in the heavy silence, gazing at each other.

Just as with the crying, Santana was leaning before she even realized it. She felt her arm rising and falling rapidly in time with Brittany's breaths and something occurred to her.

Brittany was scared. Santana wasn't sure why, but knowing that she had done that to her empowered her and she pressed her forehead against Brittany's.

"_Is this okay?"_ she breathed out, all traces of drunkenness leaving her speech. She was lucid and focused with her hand at Brittany's hip and her nose bumping gently against the blonde's.

Brittany brought a hand up and threaded it through Santana's thick hair, drawing her closer as she whispered_ "It's perfect,"_ as she closed the distance between them.

The first brush of their lips was tentative, searching. When Santana parted her lips, taking Brittany's bottom lip between her own and tugging softly, Brittany lost all sense of uncertainty.

Part of Santana's mind was telling her to take it slow, as this was Brittany's first time, but when she felt a warm tongue slip out, prodding insistently at the seal of her lips, she opened her mouth eagerly.

Brittany reciprocated with equal fervor, slanting her lips and deepening the kiss as her hold in Santana's hair tightened and she scratched gently, causing Santana to moan appreciatively.

They broke apart after a few moments and Santana kissed her way down Brittany's cheek and neck for the second time that evening.

This time, the kisses were sloppy and needy and when Brittany felt teeth graze across her pulse point she gasped and pulled the brunette back up to her lips.

They kissed this way, lips sliding effortlessly together in a dance neither was aware they knew, until the need for air became too much. When they broke apart for the second time neither made a move to continue.

Santana opened her eyes and was met with shining blue and an infectious smile beaming back at her.

She saw some movement out of the corner of her eye, but she couldn't bring herself to look away from the gorgeous girl in front of her.

"_I had no idea Santana," _Brittany said, breathlessly as she cupped Santana's cheek tenderly.

"_Me either, Britt. Me either."_

"_I'm just so glad that we got to share this with each other," _she continued with sparkling eyes.

"_Share what Britt Britt…?"_ Santana questioned absentmindedly; the aftershocks of the kiss still running through her.

"_Our first kisses silly. I know I said you could kiss me, but I didn't ever think you would..."_ Brittany clarified as she pulled Santana into a hug. _"I'm really happy you did though," _she finished shyly.

"_I mean…yooou kissed meeee Britt," _Santana teased, trying to calm herself as glimpses of her earlier bathroom rendezvous flashed across her mind, tauntingly marring the moment she'd just shared with Brittany.

"_Yeah, well it doesn't matter who kissed who first. Just that our first kisses were between us. That the memory belongs to us. Right?"_ Brittany asked, her smile faltering slightly in uncertainty.

Santana didn't know how to handle this, but the look of pure happiness and love that Brittany was shooting at her made her decision clear.

"_Yeah Britt, it's ours. Just ours," _ Santana sighed, and just like that Brittany's beaming smile returned tenfold. _"Umm, Britts…I have to go to the bathroom. I'm feeling a little sick."_

"_Are you still drunk?"_

"_No I don't think so Britt, I just need to go…"_

"_Okay, well I'll go find Quinn then and let her know I found you. Meet me back here in 10?"_

"_Yeah sure. Wait, why was Quinn looking for me?"_

"_I'm not sure. She seemed really anxious about getting Aimilee away from me earlier. I kinda had a little breakdown…"_ Brittany trailed off.

Santana felt her heart clench even more as she thought of what could have made Brittany so upset. If it had anything to do with _her_ and Aimilee, she was sure she'd made the right choice earlier.

"_Oh..well we'll talk about it later, okay? You find Quinn,"_ Santana said, squeezing Brittany's hand as they stood from the bench

"_Okay San." _Brittany leaned over and instinctively pressed a quick kiss to Santana's lips and when she pulled away she blushed heavily, _"Sorry. Am I allowed to do that now?"_

"_Uh…just not around people Britt. They might get the wrong idea about us."_

"_Okay," _Brittany nodded, but she wasn't sure she completely understood what Santana meant.

"_Great. I'll see you in a bit."_

* * *

"_Quinn!"_ Brittany squealed as she bounded up to her blonde friend. Quinn, for her part, was startled by the suddenly elated Brittany and smiled.

"_Whoa, Britt. What happened?"_ Quinn inquired, pulling Brittany away from the nosy group of Cheerios she'd just been talking to.

"_I have to tell you something! Guess what? Santana kissed me…well I kissed her…but she started it…I think….Oh wait… I wanted you to guess," _Brittany pouted, disappointed in her own enthusiasm.

"_You guys kissed. Wow, Britt. That's…well that's amazing. So how was your first?" _Quinn questioned.

"_It was great. Like floating really. She was really good at it for her first time I think…"_ Brittany mused.

"_Wait you mean, your first time right?" _Quinn probed cautiously.

"_Well yeah, but it was her first too silly,"_ Brittany said matter-of-factly.

"_It was?"_

"_Yeah, totally. I mean, who else would she have kissed?" _Brittany continued blissfully, and Quinn merely shook her head at the impending drama she saw on the horizon.

* * *

Santana burst into the bathroom and leaned heavily against the sink to steady her breathing. She couldn't believe she'd just kissed Brittany, but worse, she couldn't believe how much she'd liked it.

Kissing Aimilee had been okay, but kissing Brittany had felt…right.

She had been planning to tell Brittany about the kiss with Aimilee when they got home, but after everything that had happened she wasn't sure she'd ever be able to tell her.

It would hurt her so much that she'd lied and that the memory she'd grown fond off and been a lie as well.

"_I am so stupid."_

Santana splashed some cool water on her face, attempting to rid the last remnants of alcohol from her system. When the stall behind her opened, she jumped.

It was the same stall from earlier and she shuddered at the memory.

"_Now, why would you say you're stupid? I'd say you were pretty smart if you ask me. I mean you bagged me," _Aimilee offered as she sauntered towards Santana. It seemed she'd sobered up as well and predatory didn't even begin to describe the look in her eyes.

"_Good. It's you. I need to talk to you about earlier," _Santana started but she was cut off by Aimilee's lips forcefully finding hers. This kiss was different from the first; it reeked of nervousness and desperation.

"_God, Aimilee. What the hell!" _Santana sputtered as she pushed the brunette away. "_You can't just do that!"_ Santana exclaimed, throwing her hands up in the air.

"_Why not? Because of Britt? Because I'm not her?"_ Aimilee spit bitterly, and Santana blanched.

"_I..How…What are you talking about?" _Santana stuttered.

Aimilee chuckled, _"I saw you kiss her. I saw you more than kiss her. I mean you practically took her right there on that stupid bench." _Santana looked away, feeling her face flush with heat (along with some other places) at the memory.

"_Great and now she's got you blushing? Just awesome. I get hidden away in a bathroom stall and she gets park bench Disney shit. So unfair."_

"_I'm sorry you feel that way, but we can't do this Aims. It's not fair to Brittany. You can't tell anyone what happened earlier."_

"_What? Why? It's not like you're dating her! Has she got you that whipped that just because she doesn't approve of us, you're not going to do it?" _Aimilee demanded.

"_No…it's not that…"_

"_You didn't tell her," _she concluded as her green eyes pierced through Santana.

"_I was going to. I really was, and then she kissed me and she was so excited and I didn't want to ruin it. I don't really want to tell her ever," _Santana revealed.

"_Well, what if I want to tell her huh? How about that? Do my feelings even matter to you at all Santana? You're supposed to be my best friend too, you know," _Aimilee whispered, turning her back on Santana and walking towards the door.

"_Aimilee, I'm sorry. Just…promise me you won't tell Britt. Please," _Santana pleaded.

Aimilee didn't turn around when she breathed out a defeated, _"Fine. I won't tell her…." _as she exited the bathroom, leaving Santana alone with her thoughts.

As the green eyed girl made her way back onto the floor, she spotted Brittany talking to animatedly to Quinn, no doubt about the kiss, and smiled.

"_I won't tell her today anyways…."_

* * *

**The song is Stickwitu by the Pussycat Dolls. Blame my Itunes on shuffle LOL**

**So here the arrangement Aimilee is talking about in the present day finally comes to the light. How do you guys feel about it all? And fierce protective Quinn? Let me know if there's anything you'd like to see or any place you'd like to take this. I'm at a fork in the road in terms of where I want this story to go and what I want to do with Aimi. I know you guys hate her (and if you didn't you do now haha) so what should I do with her? Should she be repentant or should she just be a bitch through the whole story? Love you guys a lot!**


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